Department for Transport

Northern: Industrial Disputes

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of strike action on Arriva Rail North; and what financial assessment he has made of the effect of that strike action on the franchise.

Joseph Johnson: The finances of Arriva Rail North are commercially sensitive and therefore are unable to be publicly shared.

Northern

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to protect the operator against falling passenger numbers on Northern Rail.

Joseph Johnson: The Department is not taking any steps to protect the operator against falling passenger numbers, however the Rail North Partnership is working with the operator on what initiatives could be introduced to improve passenger numbers.

Large Goods Vehicles: Safety

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with heavy goods vehicle manufacturers on altering the designs of vehicles to improve safety on roads for pedestrians and cyclists; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Officials are in continuous discussion with HGV manufacturers and relevant trade associations about how different vehicle designs could improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. These cover a range of options, including safer vehicle fronts, mirrors, better direct vision, camera monitoring systems, other detection or warning devices, side under-run guards and electronic safety aids such as advanced emergency braking systems.

Large Goods Vehicles: Accidents

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of traffic accidents involving cyclists were with heavy goods vehicles in each of the last ten years; and if he will make a statement.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road accidents with cyclists there were in each of the last ten years; how many of those accidents were fatal; how many and what proportion of those fatal accidents involved (a) heavy goods vehicles, (b) cars, (c) other cyclists and (d) pedestrians; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The table below shows the number of reported road accidents involving pedal cyclists, of which involved HGVs, in Great Britain: 2007 to 2017. Accidents involving pedal cyclists Number of accidents involving at least one pedal cyclistOf which involved HGV(s)YearNumberProportion200716,4603612%200816,5853692%200917,3693002%201017,6043622%201119,6453852%201219,4893882%201319,7523372%201421,6243972%201519,1723782%201618,7433002%201718,6512511%Source: DfT STATS19   The table below shows the number of reported road fatal accidents involving pedal cyclists, of which involved HGVs, cars, more than one pedal cyclist and pedestrians, in Great Britain: 2007 to 20171 Fatal accidents involving pedal cyclists Number of fatal accidents involving at least one pedal cyclistOf which involved HGV(s)Of which involved car(s)Of which involved more than one pedal cyclist(s)Of which involved pedestrian(s)YearNumberProportionNumberProportionNumberProportionNumberProportion20071423323%6848%43%54%20081192723%7059%87%33%20091082019%6257%33%33%20101172118%6152%22%43%20111121917%6356%76%22%20121222420%6755%32%32%20131181916%6152%33%65%20141172017%5850%43%65%20151062120%5249%55%33%20161081615%5955%11%44%20171121513%5852%44%44%Source: DfT STATS19Proportions would not add up to 100% in a year as a fatal road accident involving a pedal cyclist can also involve none other, one other or multiple vehicles in the road accident. On 18 October the Department published a summary of the 14,000 responses received to its Call for Evidence on cycling and walking safety, including issues relating to large vehicles. We have recently announced a number of activities to improve the safety, and perception of safety, of cycling and walking: tailored cycle training for driving instructors, support for police in tackling unsafe “close passing”, an update to the National Standard for Cycle Training and, most recently, a review of the Highway Code to include overtaking and opening vehicle doors. The Department will publish its full response to the Call for Evidence in due course.

Public Transport: Deeside Industrial Park

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve public transport links between Birkenhead and the Deeside Industrial Park.

Jesse Norman: Public transport links will be improved by the commitment in the new Wales and Borders franchise let by the Welsh Government to improve service frequency on this line, with refurbished trains, from 2021. In addition, the Department for Transport is providing the necessary funding to develop a strategic outline business case for improvements to rail journey times between Wrexham and Bidston.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the report into High Speed Two by PwC.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: I can confirm that the report by PwC into the comparative costs of developing and constructing High Speed Rail on the Continent and elsewhere will be published shortly.

Railways: Concessions

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the 2017 Budget, when the Government plans to commence the roll-out of the 26 to 30 railcard.

Joseph Johnson: The Department has been working closely with the rail industry as it runs its trial of the railcard to understand the potential commercial impacts. This is a good example of the public and private sectors working together to bring about an initiative that both benefits passengers and brings about growth in rail travel. We expect the industry to confirm arrangements for a full roll out.

Department for Education

Primary Education: Nurseries

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2018 to Question 179290, how many mainstream and special (a) free schools that have opened since September 2017 (i) have or (ii) have plans for nursery provision and (b) primary schools that have been approved since that date have plans for nursery provision.

Nadhim Zahawi: Of the mainstream and special free schools opened since September 2017, 21 have nursery provision, and a further nine have plans for nursery provision. These figures are broken down in the attached table.Of the 20 primary schools approved by the department during the same period, 13 have plans for nursery provision. This includes 11 (of 18) schools approved following local authority-run competitions (as required by Section 6A of the Education and Inspection Act 2006) and 2 (of 2) special primary schools approved through the department’s special free school application wave. These figures relate to schools that have exclusively primary-aged pupils.As local authorities (LA) are responsible for approving LA maintained schools, we do not hold information on the number of LA maintained schools approved in this period. 



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Home Education

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the consultation, Home Education - Call for Evidence and revised DfE guidance, what plans her Department has to consult the with home education community in the development of guidelines for home education.

Anne Milton: The consultation referred to, which ran from 10 April 2018 to 2 July 2018, included draft guidance on elective home education which is intended to replace that currently published by the department. It was open to any member of the public, including parents educating their children at home, and the responses received are currently being considered before the new guidance document is published in its final form.

Poverty

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes to the eligibility criteria for free school meals on the number of families living in poverty.

Nadhim Zahawi: Our new criteria for free school meals eligibility are forecast to increase the number of children benefiting from this vital benefit by 2022, compared to under the previous benefits system. In addition, our transitional protections will mean that all children currently receiving a free meal will continue to do so.In February, the government published an updated equality analysis on the criteria following a public consultation. Our overall assessment was that we expect children with a special educational need or disability, pupils attending schools with no religious character, and children from certain ethnic groups to benefit more than others from the estimated increase in the size of the free school meal cohort. These children were identified as more likely to benefit from the new criteria because they are considered more likely to come from households with earnings below the new eligibility threshold. We did not have evidence to suggest there will be any negative impact on children with other protected characteristics.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Figure 3 of the report entitled, Financial sustainability of schools, published by the National Audit Office in December 2016, whether his Department has plans to update its estimate of cumulative cost-pressures on schools.

Nick Gibb: As set out in the report entitled, Treasury Minutes Progress Report – July 2018, and in response to recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee and National Audit Office, the Department published an updated assessment of the cost pressures on schools in February 2018. This is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-costs-technical-note.

Children: Day Care

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing local authorities with a discretionary fund to support families that have a child eligible for 30 hours of free childcare but mistakenly do not apply for an eligibility code.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government is committed to ensuring parents have access to high-quality affordable childcare. The termly deadline for the 30 hours offer has been made clear to local authorities, providers and parents, and the department expects parents to adhere to these deadlines in order to ensure they are able to access a 30 hours place for their child. The government has invested in strong and clear communications on the 30 hours offer, including a cross government website, Childcare Choices, which clearly sets out how and when a parent can access a place: www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. The department recognises that some applications may be delayed in the Childcare Service and we have put in place a 14 day discretionary period for those parents who applied in time but received a code after the deadline, through no fault of their own. During the first year of delivery, over 379,000 codes were successfully generated by parents applying through the HM Revenue and Customs Childcare Service, with around 340,000 places being taken up by working parents across the country, taking huge pressures off family lives and budgets.

Further Education: North West

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the level of funding was for 16 to 19 education in (a) the North West b) Merseyside and c) Wirral in each of the last eight years.

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he will make it his policy to increase the 16-19 funding by five per cent a year for the next five years.

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of 16-19 funding in the North West.

Anne Milton: 16 to 19 funding for all institutions including those in the North West, Merseyside and the Wirral is shown in the published allocations for each year, and allocations for the last 6 years from the period 2013 to 2014 onwards is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-allocations#published-allocations. Allocations for previous years are also available at the following link:http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140107132325/https://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/executiveagencies/efa/funding/fundinga/b00204972/16-19-allocations. However, they cannot be directly compared on a like for like basis with later years as the funding system changed in 2013. We have protected the base rate of funding for 16 to 19 year olds for all types of providers until the end of the current spending review period in 2020. As with other areas of departmental spending, 16 to 19 funding for subsequent years will be agreed as part of the next Spending Review. All 16 to 19 providers, including those in the North West, have a vital role to play in making sure young people have the skills they need. Our commitment to the 16 to 19 sector across England has contributed to the current record high proportion of 16 and 17 year olds who are participating in education or apprenticeships. We are currently considering the efficiency and resilience of the further education sector and assessing how far existing funding and regulatory structures meet the costs of delivering quality further education. We will continue to look carefully at funding for the sector in preparation for the next Spending Review.

Pupil Premium

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to extend the pupil premium to cover post-16 students.

Nadhim Zahawi: The national funding formula for 16 to 19 year olds includes extra funding for disadvantaged students, provided to institutions specifically for students who live in the most disadvantaged areas, and those with low prior attainment. In 2017/18, 16 to 19 institutions received around £520 million to provide extra support to disadvantaged students.We allocated £130 million for discretionary bursaries to help financially disadvantaged young people participate in education and training. In addition, young people in defined vulnerable groups may be eligible for up to £1,200 a year to support their participation costs.

Children: Day Care

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have applied for an eligibility code for 30 hours of free childcare after the deadline in each of the terms to date.

Nadhim Zahawi: During the first year of delivery, over 379,000 eligibility codes were successfully generated by parents applying through HM Revenue and Customs Childcare Service.This breaks down across each of the terms as follows:Autumn term 2017 – 224,885 codesSpring term 2018 – 329,195 codesSummer term 2018 – 379,662 codesAutumn term 2018 – 254,136 codesWe publish termly management information releases showing the number of codes generated each term. The full publication, which shows local authority and regional level breakdowns, is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility-codes-issued-and-validated. The government has invested in strong and clear communications on the 30 hours offer, including a cross government website, Childcare Choices, which clearly sets out how and when a parent can access a place – www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. The department recognises that some applications may be delayed in the Childcare Service, that is why we have put in place a 14 day discretionary period for those parents who applied in time but received a code after the deadline, through no fault of their own.Although the department holds data on the number of eligibility codes and when they were issued, we are unable to determine in which term a parent intends to take up a place, as this is dependent on circumstances and choices of the individual parent.

Pupil Exclusions

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the extent of off-rolling of pupils based on their projected exam results in (a) Coventry South, (b) Coventry, (c) West Midlands and (d) England; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The law is clear that a pupil’s name can only be deleted from the admission register on the grounds prescribed in regulation 8 of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, as amended. Statutory guidance on exclusions is also clear that ‘informal’ or ‘unofficial’ exclusions are unlawful, regardless of whether they occur with the agreement of parents or carers. Any exclusion of a pupil, even for short periods of time, must be formally recorded.The information requested is not held centrally. Local authorities have a duty to make arrangements to establish the identities of children of compulsory school age in their area who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise.In March, the Government launched an externally-led review of exclusions practice, led by Edward Timpson CBE. The review will explore how head teachers use exclusion, and why pupils with particular characteristics are more likely to be excluded from school. It will also consider the differences in exclusion rates across primary and secondary schools in England.The review will report at the beginning of next year. The full terms of reference for the review can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusions-review-terms-of-reference.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Business: Regulation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the criteria his Department used to determine the £9 billion Business Impact Target.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government announced on 20 June 2018 that the Business Impact Target for this Parliament would be set at £9 billion of savings to business, as outlined in the 2017 Conservative Party manifesto. In setting the target, my rt hon Friend the Secretary of State had regard to the criteria specified in section 21(6) of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to work with his counterparts from other countries to ensure that  global temperatures do not exceed 1.5 degrees C.

Claire Perry: One hundred and eighty one of the 197 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have now ratified the Paris Agreement, and I am proud that the UK is one of them. The UK is fully committed to working with other countries to achieve the Paris Agreement goals including limiting global average temperature increase to well below 2°C and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C. We are actively involved in the UNFCCC negotiations and are fully committed to finalising the rulebook that will underpin the Paris Agreement at COP24 this December. We drive the work of several progressive groups, comprising developed and developing countries, such as the High Ambition Coalition. We are one of the largest contributors of international climate finance, helping developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate change through coalitions and partnerships, and we will spend at least £5.8bn on this between 2016 and 2020. Additionally, we are promoting global alliances to encourage clean growth, such as the Powering Past Coal Alliance, to reduce emissions from the most polluting fuel, which I launched last year, and which now has over 70 members. We are also working to build on the progress made at the UK Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Summit, hosted by the Prime Minister in September 2018, to help the development of the ZEV market around the world and tackle carbon emissions. The UK is also showing leadership through domestic action, between 1990 and 2017 we have reduced our emissions by 43% whilst growing our economy by 71%, demonstrating that it is possible to grow your economy while reducing emissions.

Electricity: Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he plans to take to ensure the continuation of the Single Electricity Market on the island of Ireland in the event that the UK leaves the EU Internal Energy Market.

Claire Perry: The Government is committed to facilitating the continuation of the Single Electricity Market in any scenario. We are developing plans for EU Exit for the Single Electricity Market with Northern Ireland institutions,  and these plans are being designed to provide the flexibility to respond to different negotiated outcomes, as well as the unlikely event of no agreement being reached.

Energy Supply: EU Countries

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the possibility of the UK remaining a member of the EU Internal Energy Market but not sharing a common rule-book with other members.

Claire Perry: The UK is exploring with the EU the options for our future energy relationship. One option would be for the UK to participate in the Internal Energy Market (IEM). In this case, the UK proposes a common rulebook with the EU on the technical rules for electricity trading, such as the market coupling mechanism.

Nuclear Power: Employment

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of full-time direct jobs in nuclear energy reprocessing and generation in the UK..

Richard Harrington: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 24th October 2018 to Question 180093.

Carbon Budgets: Climate Change

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for the Fourth and Fifth Carbon Budgets of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Special Report on 1.5 degrees.

Claire Perry: We are leading the world in our response to the IPCC report – commissioning our independent experts, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), for advice on our long-term targets a week after publication of the IPCC report. The CCC’s focus for this particular advice will rightly be on our long-term targets, including the costs, benefits and deliverability of more ambitious targets. The UK carbon budgets already set in legislation are among the most stringent in the world, requiring a 57% cut in emissions by 2028 - 2032 from a 1990 baseline. The Government’s focus is on delivering those challenging targets as part of our Clean Growth Strategy. As part of their ongoing analysis on our progress, the CCC already advise on a decarbonisation pathway that takes us on a steeper trajectory than legislated carbon budgets (see the CCC’s Progress Report of June this year). Under the Climate Change Act, the CCC will next advise us on carbon budget levels in 2020 when they set out their views on the sixth carbon budget (2033-2037).

Living Wage: Business

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the number of businesses paying the national living wage in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England; and if he'll make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Furniture: Manufacturing Industries

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect on the operations of bed manufacturers in (a) West Yorkshire and (b) the rest of the UK of leaving the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: BEIS engages regularly with UK based businesses and trade associations across a range of sectors including consumer goods. We understand the concerns of these businesses about retaining frictionless trade and want all manufacturers across the UK, including in West Yorkshire, to thrive now and in the future. To help us engage effectively, we have set up sector-specific EU Exit panels. The first consumer goods panel will be taking place in early November and all consumer goods activity in the UK, including furniture manufacturing, is represented. The Government has been clear that the best outcome is for the UK to leave the EU with a deal and why, following months of intensive work and detailed discussions, we proposed a third option for our future economic relationship, based on the frictionless trade in goods. At March European Council, the UK and EU agreed that during the implementation period, the UK would be treated as a Member State for the purposes of international agreements, including trade agreements. This provides certainty and confidence for business that there will be no disruption to existing relationships underpinned by international agreements as we move into the Implementation Period.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Contracts for Services

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which companies his Department has contracted for the provision of departmental services; and how many staff are employed under those contracts by those companies.

Richard Harrington: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has contracts for the provision of services with the following suppliers: AramarkArcadis (Formerly EC Harris)BTCapital WorksClarity TravelCriticall LimitedEgress SwitchEngieHRG TravelITRS (Internet Research and Training ServicesMarshMicrosoftMinerva Elite Performance LtdOffice LabsOracleRBSRestore (previously TNT)SSCLSwiss Post SolutionsUK SBSWestminster City Council   BEIS do not hold records on how many people are employed on each contract. Suppliers are responsible for their own resource allocation on a contract.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Staff

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many staff working in his Department are on (a) permanent, (b) fixed-term and (c) causal outsourced contracts.

Richard Harrington: As at September 2018, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy currently has 3583 Permanent staff, 158 Fixed Term Appointment as per payroll returns (exc. Loan/secondments/Faststreamers) and 83 agency temps and contractor staff. Figures based on Headcount not FTE.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Contracts for Services

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and which services in his departmental are sub-contracted to private providers.

Richard Harrington: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has the following 15 service categories which are sub-contracted to private providers: 1Security2Catering3Facilities Management4Professional Services5Provision of Technical Advisory Services6Managed Print Service7IT Services8Fixed and Mobile Telephony Services9Provision of Legal Services10Shared Services11Provision of Gas Meter and Electricity Meter Testing Services12Call Centre Provision13Smart Metering Engineering Services14Regulatory Design Services15Business Support Services

Post Offices: Opening Hours

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what (a) safeguards and (b) terms and conditions are in place to ensure that there is no reduction in operating hours when the Post Office transfers a branch to a franchisee.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Chad: Libya

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many civilian casualties there were in the attack by the Chadian army on the town of Kouri Bougoudi in September 2018; and what representations he has made to his Chadian counterpart on that attack.

Harriett Baldwin: We are aware of reports that the Chadian security forces engaged Libyan-based Chadian rebels occupying parts of Kouri Bougoudi in August and September 2018, and that during these actions, civilians may have been harmed. In discussions with the Chadian authorities on their fight against Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin and insurgents elsewhere in the country, Her Majesty's Government has made it clear that we expect them to abide by the international standards that govern how any military deals with innocent civilian by-standers. We will continue to monitor the situation closely​.

UN General Assembly

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish details of the accommodation used by London-based Ministers and officials of his Department when visiting the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2018.

Mark Field: This information is not held centrally and to compile it would incur disproportionate cost. Ministers and officials stayed overnight in a combination of Government-owned accommodation and hotels.

Kosovo: Recognition of States

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that Kosovo receives universal recognition as a state ten years on from that country gaining independence.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK was one of the first of over 100 countries to recognise Kosovo’s statehood. We support Kosovo's integration into the international rules-based system through membership of international organisations, which can help promote stability and prosperity; for example, we support Kosovo’s current bid to join Interpol.

Kosovo: Serbia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether a land swap between Serbia and Kosovo will set a precedent for the territories in that region.

Sir Alan Duncan: Normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo is crucial for the security, stability and prosperity of both countries and the wider region. The Government believes that this should be on the basis of the recognition of independent sovereign states within their current borders. We believe that calls for re-drawing national borders could be de-stabilising in Kosovo, Serbia and beyond. We continue to support the EU-facilitated dialogue with a view to establishing a comprehensive and sustainable solution that benefits both countries.

Kosovo: Serbia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether a land swap between Serbia and Kosovo would have the effect of improve relations between those countries.

Sir Alan Duncan: Normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo is crucial for the security, stability and prosperity of both countries and the wider region. The Government believes that this should be on the basis of the recognition of independent sovereign states within their current borders. We believe that calls for re-drawing national borders could be de-stabilising in Kosovo, Serbia and beyond. We continue to support the EU-facilitated dialogue with a view to establishing a comprehensive and sustainable solution that benefits both countries.

Kosovo: Serbia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department’s policy is on potential land swaps between Serbia and Kosovo; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: Normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo is crucial for the security, stability and prosperity of both countries and the wider region. The Government believes that this should be on the basis of the recognition of independent sovereign states within their current borders. We believe that calls for re-drawing national borders could be de-stabilising in Kosovo, Serbia and beyond. We continue to support the EU-facilitated dialogue with a view to establishing a comprehensive and sustainable solution that benefits both countries.

Libya: Elections

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on whether planned parliamentary and presidential elections in Libya should be held in the absence of a permanent constitution approved by the public in a national referendum.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK has been consistent in its support for the political roadmap set out by the UN Special Representative to the Secretary General (UNSRSG) Ghassan Salamé. UNSRSG Salamé has been clear that both elections and approval of a permanent constitution represent important elements of Libya's political transition, and that elections must be preceded by the necessary political, technical and security preparations. The precise sequencing of elections and a referendum on the constitution is for the Libyans to determine, and the UK will continue to support UNSRSG Salamé as he seeks to facilitate consensus on the way forward.

Libya: Elections

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications of attacks by armed groups on polling stations during municipal elections held in Libya in September 2018 on the prospect of secure parliamentary and presidential elections in that country.

Alistair Burt: ​Municipal elections represent an important part of Libya’s political transition. The UK welcomes the fact that a small number of municipal elections have already taken place this year, but the attack on the Bani Walid municipal electoral commission highlights the scale of the challenges ahead, including for future national electoral events. We have allocated £12 million for Libya this financial year through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, including funding for both the national and local election commissions to help them prepare for future elections. We support UN Special Representative to the Secretary General Salamé’s view that elections must be preceded by the necessary political, technical and security preparations.

Libya: Elections

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure the provision of adequate funds to enable the provision by local and municipal councils in Libya of essential services to their local communities.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received reports of the alleged replacements elected municipal councils and mayors with military personnel by the Libyan National Army in areas under its control; and what recent representations he has made to representatives of (a) the Libyan National Army; (b) the House of Representatives and (c) the authorities in Bayda on that issue.

Alistair Burt: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office recognises the important role municipal authorities are playing in providing essential services to Libyan citizens. The UK's Conflict, Stability and Security Fund is supporting municipal authorities through contributions to the UN's Stabilisation Facility for Libya, and we have recently tendered for a partner to implement a new programme working with local authorities and the Ministry of Local Government to improve local service delivery. We are also following closely the replacement of elected councils with military governors, particularly in the East of the country. As part of our engagement with both the House of Representatives and the Libyan National Army (LNA), we have expressed our concern about the issue of military governors on several occasions. We do not have official engagement with the unrecognised parallel government in Bayda. We understand that some of these military governors have now been replaced with civilian councils, and that a number of municipalities in LNA-controlled areas are due to have municipal elections in the near future.

Libya: Armed Forces

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the progress of efforts by the Libyan Government of National Accord to establish a single, unified command and control structure for militias allied to that Government.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the outcomes of recent negotiations between military groups in Libya which were held in Cairo on the potential creation of a unified national army in Libya.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK supports Egyptian-led reconciliation talks on the creation of a unified national security structure. We are in frequent contact with the Egyptian Government and Libyan participants about the progress of these talks, although we understand that they have not yet reached final agreement. In addition to the talks held in Cairo, the UN is supporting the Government of National Accord to establish more sustainable security structures in Tripoli and nationwide; it is important that all initiatives on the security track are coordinated and complementary, and serve to bolster the UN-led political process. The UK continues to engage with a range of military and security actors in both East and West Libya in order to support these efforts.

Libya: Violence

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications of recent violence in Libya for the work of (a) the National Oil Corporation and (b) the Central Bank of that country.

Alistair Burt: ​The British Government remains actively involved in international efforts to stabilise Libya and condemns any threat or use of military force which could jeopardise the security of civilians or set back efforts to advance the political process. We strongly condemn the violence in recent months in both the Oil Crescent and in Tripoli, including the terrorist attack on the National Oil Corporation. We welcome the UN brokered ceasefire agreement and the creation of the Libyan Government's Security Arrangements Committee, which aims to establish more sustainable security arrangements in the capital. As penholder, we led international action in the UN Security Council to sanction Ibrahim Jadran, the militia commander responsible for the attack on the Oil Crescent in June, making clear that any attempt to undermine Libya's legitimate economic activity is unacceptable. We welcomed the resumption of operations by Tripoli's National Oil Corporation and the increased oil production this year; and we continue to work with the Central Bank of Libya to encourage economic reform and reunification of parallel institutions.

Development Aid

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on maintaining the UK’s commitment to spend 0.7% of GDP on Official Development Assistance (ODA); and whether the whole ODA budget will be spent by his Department.

Sir Alan Duncan: Spending 0.7% on ODA is set in law. Most of the ODA budget is spent by DFID.

South Africa: British Nationals Abroad

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of UK expatriates living in South Africa that will be affected by the motion passed in the Parliament of South Africa on 1 March 2018  to confiscate land without compensation from white farmers.

Harriett Baldwin: The motion passed by the South African Parliament on 27 February 2018 committed to ‘make use of all mechanisms at the disposal of the state’ in pursuing a land reform programme, and tasked a committee with reviewing whether the Constitution needed to be amended for the State to expropriate land without compensation. It is not possible to make an assessment of the impact of a future land reform programme until it has been formulated, however, President Ramaphosa has provided clear examples of when a policy of expropriation could be used. These include: unused land, derelict buildings, purely speculative land holdings, or circumstances where occupiers have strong historical rights and title holders do not occupy or use their land, such as labour tenancy, informal settlements and abandoned inner-city buildings.

South East Asia: Foreign Relations

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on the UK's relationship with those countries after the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Field: The UK enjoys close connections with all the ten countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Over the past year, I have visited all ten nations with a a view to strengthen links with this important region of the world after we exit the EU. The UK seeks a broad, dynamic and modern relationship post-EU exit which is built upon tangible areas of mutual benefit such as economic cooperation, trade, defence and security, and education. Over the summer, I undertook a regional tour of six of the ten ASEAN countries and have now engaged my counterparts in every ASEAN country. The Foreign Secretary had the opportunity to speak to several of his ASEAN counterparts about the UK’s future relationship with the region at the UN General Assembly last month. The Prime Minister also used her participation in the ASEM Summit in mid-October to set out the UK’s intention to deepen further our relationship with ASEAN.

USA: INF Treaty

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US Administration on the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Sir Alan Duncan: We have a close dialogue with the US at all levels on foreign and security policy questions, including the Intermedate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. We share US concern at certain new Russian missiles. We believe the INF Treaty has played a valuable role in supporting Euro-Atlantic security and want to see it continue to stand but that requires all parties to abide by it. While the Treaty remains in force, we will continue our efforts to bring Russia back into full and verified compliance. We will work closely with US and other Allies on next steps.

International Law

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US administration on the maintenance of international (a) law and (b) institutions.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign Secretary speaks regularly to his US counterparts on issues related to international law and institutions. During his speech in Washington in August the Foreign Secretary called on all states to work together to uphold the rules-based international order and restore confidence in international institutions.

USA: Asia

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Japanese and (b) US counterparts on the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy.

Mark Field: The UK welcomes the principles of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, in line with our commitments to the rules-based international system and the conduct of free and open international trade. Last month, when the Foreign Secretary visited Tokyo, he discussed these issues with both and Prime Minister Abe and Foreign Minister Kono. The Foreign Secretary regularly speaks to Secretary of State Pompeo on this approach, including on his most recent visit to Washington in August 2018.​

Burma: Freedom of Expression

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of media freedom in Burma, and representations he has made to his counterpart in the Government of Burma on violations of freedom of expression and press freedom in that country.

Mark Field: ​The British Government has been a consistent and vocal advocate of democratic freedoms in Burma, including freedom of expression. Our Ambassador to Burma met the Burmese Attorney-General on 9 August and made clear that freedom of the media was a vital safeguard in a democracy, and that the law should protect journalists rather than punish them for doing their jobs. The Foreign Secretary called for the release of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo during the course of his visit to the country wher ehe met with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 20 September.

USA: INF Treaty

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the announcement that the US will be leaving the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: We have a close dialogue with the US at all levels on foreign and security policy questions, including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. We share US concern at certain new Russian missiles. We believe the INF Treaty has played a valuable role in supporting Euro-Atlantic security and want to see it continue to stand but that requires all parties to abide by it. While the Treaty remains in force, we will continue our efforts to bring Russia back into full and verified compliance. We will work closely with US and other Allies on next steps.

Attorney General

Prosecutions: Appeals

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Attorney General, on how many occasions he has agreed to (a) review and (b) reconsider his consent to prosecution; and on how many of those occasions he withdrew his consent in each of the last five years.

Mr Geoffrey Cox: The Attorney General will consider requests to review decisions where new evidence becomes available.However, the requested information would require the examining of AGO case files and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Prosecutions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Attorney General, how many times he has been asked to consent to a prosecution; and in how many of those cases he (a) granted and (b) refused consent in each of the last five years.

Mr Geoffrey Cox: The Law Officers have received 705 applications for consent since 1 January 2013. Consent has been declined in 33 applications. Consent was declined on 14 occasions as there was insufficient evidence and on 19 occasions because a prosecution was not in the public interest.

Treaties: Prosecutions

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Attorney General, which international treaties and associated guidance he referred to when granting consent to prosecute; and what the offences were to which those treaties and guidance applied in each of the last five years.

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Attorney General, how many times he has referred to an international treaty or convention and its guidance on interpretation and implementation when assessing whether to grant consent to prosecute for a criminal provision that derives from or implements that treaty or convention in the last five years.

Mr Geoffrey Cox: The Law Officers consider each consent case on its merits and take in to account international treaties, conventions and associated guidance on their interpretation and implementation where necessary.Data on what information was considered in each case can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department of Health and Social Care

Smoking

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the smoking quit rate was in (a) England, (b) each local authority, (c) each parliamentary constituency and (d) each clinical commissioning group area in England in each financial year since 2010-11.

Steve Brine: Data on the number of self-reported successful quitters at four weeks per 100,000 smokers aged over 16 in England 2010/11 to 2016/17 are available in the following table. Number of successful quitters at four weeks per 100,000 smokers aged 16+ in England 2010/11 to 2016/17YearNumber of successful quitters at four weeks per 100,000 smokers aged 16+2010/119112011/129442012/138682013/143,7432014/152,9242015/162,5982016/172,248 Notes:From April 2013, responsibility for commissioning the NHS Stop Smoking Services moved from primary care trusts (PCTs) to local authorities. Therefore from April 2013 these data are collected and reported at region and local authority level rather than by strategic health authority and PCT.Due to this change in methodology, data prior to 2013/14 are not comparable to those after. Information on successful quitters at local authority level is not held in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The data are not broken down by clinical commissioning group or parliamentary constituency and therefore are not available.

Primary Health Care: Ethnic Groups

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the NHS plans to take to tackle barriers to access to primary care for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in the long term plan for the NHS.

Steve Brine: NHS England is working on tools for access to primary care for patients and carers, which is aimed at the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities as well as other identified groups. NHS England will be involving members of these communities in this work to create information that helps patients, carers and front line social care and voluntary and community sector staff understand access to primary medical services. Once published, there will be targeted engagement to ensure the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities are aware of the tool, and how to use it.

Drugs: Disclosure of Information

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 October 2018 to Question 176272 on Drugs: Imports, if he will place in the Library a copy of the non-disclosure agreements his Department has requested pharmaceutical companies to sign.

Stephen Barclay: Holding answer received on 22 October 2018



The Department has requested a number of pharmaceutical industry representative bodies and manufacturers sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). By signing NDAs the Department is able to talk to the industry in confidence so that we can be clear when we go out to the whole industry our advice and any requests of them are clear, appropriate and deliverable. A copy of the draft template for these NDA agreements is attached.



PQ180178 attached document
(Word Document, 46.73 KB)

Analgesics

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the merits of restricting the sale of  paracetamol and aspirin to behind the counter to reduce the number of deaths by self-poisoning.

Matt Hancock: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the body responsible for regulating all medicines in the United Kingdom on behalf of health ministers. In 1998, smaller pack sizes were introduced for non-prescription medicines containing paracetamol or aspirin to manage the risk of misuse and overuse. The MHRA continues to monitor the safety in use of non-prescription medicines containing paracetamol and aspirin and will take further action to safeguard public health if necessary. The National Institute for Health Research, funded by the Department, commissioned research published in 2013, which analysed deaths by poisoning by paracetamol since the restrictions to its sale were introduced in 1998, ‘Long term effect of reduced pack sizes of paracetamol on poisoning deaths and liver transplant activity in England and Wales: interrupted time series analyses’. This is available at the following link: https://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f403

Electronic Cigarettes

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the advice on the efficacy of e-cigarettes as a stop smoking aid between Public Health England’s document entitled Stop smoking options: guidance for conversations with patients and NICE’s document entitled Stop smoking interventions and services guidance.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) agree that, although not risk free, e-cigarettes are substantially less harmful than smoking. PHE and NICE also agree that e-cigarettes can help smokers to quit and that it is important for a smoker to quit smoking completely to get the full benefits to their health. PHE’s document ‘Stop smoking options: guidance for conversations with patients’ and NICE’s document entitled ‘Stop smoking interventions and services guidance’ are also well aligned with advice from the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the funding allocated for substance misuse services in England by (a) local authority and (b) in total in each year since 2012.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the funding allocated for alcohol treatment services in England by (a) local authority and (b) in total in each year since 2012.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the funding allocated for drug treatment services in England by (a) local authority and (b) in total in each year since 2012.

Steve Brine: Responsibility for substance misuse services was transferred to local government in 2013. Figures for 2017/18 are not yet available and there are no directly comparable figures for 2012/13. The following table shows actual total spending on alcohol and drug services for both adults and children since 2013. Alcohol and Drug Services (£ million)Financial yearAlcohol TreatmentDrug TreatmentChildren’s services — alcohol/drugsAlcohol preventionDrug PreventionSocial SupportTotal Spend (£ million)2016/17*202.8425.349.538.167.641.6823.92015/16240.0530.049.4n/an/a63.5882.92014/15209.6601.858.0n/an/a98.0967.42013/14201.3596.469.2n/an/an/a866.9 Notes: *In 2016/17 data, prevention service spending was separated out from treatment services in reporting for the first time. Further breakdowns by local authority are available at the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2013-to-2014-individual-local-authority-data-outturn https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2014-to-2015-individual-local-authority-data-outturn https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2015-to-2016-individual-local-authority-data-outturn https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2016-to-2017-individual-local-authority-data-outturn

Buprenorphine

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the financial effect of the increase in the cost of prescribing buprenorphine on the provision of substance misuse services.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has allocated additional funding to substance misuse services as a result of the increase in the cost of prescribing buprenorphine.

Steve Brine: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regularly meets with Cabinet colleagues to discuss a range of topics. The Government has committed £16 billion in funding to local authorities over the current five-year spending review period to tackle public health issues, which includes alcohol and drug treatment services, and there are no plans to increase funding further at this time.

Alcoholic Drinks: Rehabilitation

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many medically-staffed alcohol in-patient detoxification beds there are in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Suffolk.

Steve Brine: This data is not collected centrally.

Fire Prevention: Hospitals

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2018 to Question 164527 on Buildings: insulation, how many hospitals above 18 metres have rainscreen cladding.

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2018 to Question 164527, how many non-high-rise hospitals that are below 18 metres have rainscreen cladding.

Stephen Barclay: Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, National Health Service organisations must, as far as is reasonably practical, ensure that everyone on the premises are safe in a fire situation. Therefore, they must consider the ban on combustible cladding as part of the regular fire risk assessments they carry out on their estate when they have new developments or refurbishment. This will include whether it applies to all walls irrespective of height. As part of the NHS response to the Grenfell tragedy a review of cladding used on NHS properties was undertaken and 10 were identified with buildings that used Aluminium Composite Material. Mitigation actions were immediately implemented, with the agreement of the Fire and Rescue Services, with plans being put in place for its removal and replacement. The Department is funding this work.

Influenza: Vaccination

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people who are entitled to a free flu vaccination are aware that the vaccination can be obtained from pharmacies as well as from GP surgeries; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The national ‘Help us help you: stay well this winter’ campaign promotes uptake of the flu vaccination and was launched on 8 October 2018. It will run until 17 December 2018. Activity includes television, radio, social and digital advertising, supported by search, partnership activity and public relations. The first phase highlights the seriousness of flu for at-risk groups and how vaccination offers the best protection. Public Health England advice is to speak to a general practitioner (GP), pharmacist or midwife. This message is replicated across all advertising materials, including those for partners, with a minor variation in communications concerning flu vaccination for children. Children aged two and three are vaccinated by GPs and children in reception to year five are vaccinated at school. The second phase encourages at-risk groups to get their flu vaccination and visit a pharmacist at the first sign of a winter illness.

Health Services: Hinckley

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will visit Hinckley to discuss the Hinckley and Bosworth Health and Wellbeing Partnership strategy of empowering people to manage their own physical and mental needs closer to home.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government supports the integration of health and care services and recognises the good work being done by the Hinckley and Bosworth Wellbeing Partnership by taking a multi-agency approach to increase the wellbeing of people and to support them to live independently in their own homes for longer. Officials will be in contact with the Health and Wellbeing Board to understand more about the work being done.

NHS: Repairs and Maintenance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost of maintenance requirements throughout the NHS estate for the next three years.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to resolve the NHS high-risk maintenance backlog.

Stephen Barclay: The Department collects data on backlog maintenance annually from National Health Service trusts through its Estates Returns Information Collection. The data collected has not been amended centrally and its accuracy always remains the responsibility of the contributing NHS organisations. The latest total figure for backlog maintenance, for 2017-18, is £6.0 billion. Individual NHS providers are responsible for the safety and quality of their estates. NHS planning guidance has made clear that providers should actively consider the requirement for funding critical estate backlog within their capital plan and explain their strategy for investment in backlog work and risk mitigation. Sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) have also been asked to set out their plans for tackling backlog maintenance as part of their STP level estates strategies. The 2017 Autumn Budget announced £3.5 billion of new additional capital investment in the NHS in England by 2022-23, including £700 million to support turnaround plans in struggling trusts and tackle critical maintenance issues. As the NHS develops its long-term plan, the improvement of the quality and safety of the NHS estate will be a key deliverable. The Government has been clear that one of the financial tests against which the long-term plan will be assessed is that the NHS makes better use of capital investment and its existing assets.

NHS: ICT

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to develop new apps for the NHS; what budget has been made available for such development; and if he will make a statement.

Matt Hancock: A number of new apps are currently being developed, are being assessed or have been already approved into the NHS Apps Library to make digital services available which are appropriate to patients’ needs. As set out in ‘The future of healthcare: our vision for digital, data and technology in health and care’, we want to create a world-leading ecosystem for developers to create apps and digital tools that can support patients and clinicians and to spread them quickly across the system through better use of standards and frameworks. The document is available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-future-of-healthcare-our-vision-for-digital-data-and-technology-in-health-and-care The NHS App is currently in development. This free app is due to launch at the end of 2018, gradually rolling out to patients across theUnited Kingdom from December. The NHS App will enable people to have easier access to a range of health and care services as and when they need them. Funding for these developments is being made available from a number of sources across the health and care system and by app developers themselves.

NHS Shared Business Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to attend board meetings of the NHS Shared Business Service.

Stephen Barclay: NHS Shared Business Services Ltd. is jointly owned by Sopra Steria Limited and the Department. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is represented at Board meetings by Shareholder Directors appointed by the Department. The Secretary of State carries out his duties and attends meetings in the way he feels he can best serve the role.

NHS Property Services: Internet

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that transparency data on the NHS Property Services website is kept up to date.

Stephen Barclay: NHS Property Services is currently implementing a new corporate website, which will provide access to commonly requested information by the end of the year. This includes information about past and present Board directors, articles of association, annual reports and accounts, modern slavery statement and privacy policy. In relation to one key element expected from public sector bodies – information on spending and contracts over certain limits – there was a commitment from NHS Property Services to having information systems ready for the end of last year to facilitate this, but the implementation of a more fit-for-purpose procurement platform and contract database will not be complete until 2019.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Social Security Benefits

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of 21 June 2018, Official Report, column 232WH, on ME: Treatment and Research, what steps his Department has taken to collaborate with the Department for Work and Pensions on guidance for healthcare professionals for the assessment of people with ME.

Steve Brine: The Department is not directly responsible for producing training and clinical guidance for healthcare professionals. Such guidance is a matter for organisations such as National Institute for Health and Care Excellence or clinical professional organisations such as the Royal College of Physicians.

Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department’s consultation on calorie labelling for food and drink served outside the home includes alcoholic drinks.

Steve Brine: The consultation on mandating calorie labelling in the out-of-home sector was launched as part of a package of measures with the primary aim of reducing childhood obesity. We welcome and will consider all responses to the consultation, including whether this policy should be extended to alcoholic drinks. However, our intention at this stage is focused on food and non-alcoholic drinks.

Heart Diseases: Screening

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of Public Health England’s How healthy is your heart? Test.

Steve Brine: The Heart Age Test offers advice on lifestyle changes that help reduce people’s risk of heart attack and stroke and which can improve overall health and wellbeing, and has strong clinical and academic support. As of September 2018, the Heart Age Test had been completed over 1.9 million times. In 2016, a British Medical Journal open paper was published, which analysed the first 500,000 test completions. The paper noted that estimated heart age was higher than chronological age for 79% of users, and that demographic and risk factor profiles resembled the population of England. Public Health England is currently leading an evaluation of the September 2018 Heart Age Test campaign. The evaluation will assess reach and recognition of the campaign as well as extent to which the campaign acted as a prompt to use the Heart Age Test.

Syringes

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the number of (a) needle and syringe programmes for people with addictions and (b) people whom those programmes cover.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the number of take-home naloxone programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Local authorities are responsible for assessing local needs and commissioning drug prevention, treatment and harm reduction services to meet these needs. This includes making sure they have sufficient coverage of needle and syringe programmes, and take-home naloxone to prevent overdose deaths from heroin and other opioids. The Government is encouraging and supporting local areas to maintain needle and syringe programmes, and expand the provision of naloxone with guidance, advice and tools.

Maternity Services: Closures

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of temporary closures of NHS maternity units in the last five years.

Matt Hancock: Data on the levels of closures are not centrally held.

Mental Illness: Children and Young People

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 56 of the Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision green paper, what progress has been made on updating data relating to the prevalence of mental health problems among children and young people; and when his Department plans to publish that data.

Matt Hancock: To update the data relating to the prevalence of mental health problems in children and young people, NHS Digital has been conducting a prevalence survey examining the mental health of children and young people. The survey will be published in due course.

NHS: ICT

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve signposting to NHS approved apps to (a) support people to manage their own health and (b) provide evidence-based and validated advice.

Matt Hancock: The NHS Apps Library, launched in April 2017, helps people to make better choices about the digital health and care tools they use to support them in managing their own health and care in a safe and secure way. It now has over 70 apps and tools uploaded. Each of the apps goes through a rigorous and robust validation process that ensures that the apps meet the high standard of quality, safety and effectiveness that people expect from the National Health Service. The NHS App is currently in development and is due to launch at the end of 2018, gradually rolling out to patients across the United Kingdom from December. This will enable people to have easier access to a range of health and care services as and when they need them. In future iterations of the app, we are looking to promote additional apps or digital services appropriate to an individual’s need, and which have been approved by the NHS Apps Library.

Primary Health Care

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the potential savings to the public purse of directing people to self care for self-treatable conditions.

Steve Brine: No specific assessment has been made. However, there is a growing body of evidence for the benefits of self-care both in improved patient outcomes and reductions in demand on the National Health Service. ‘Self-care’ covers a broad spectrum of interventions and is defined in different ways in different situations.

NHS: ICT

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his October 2018 policy paper, The future of healthcare: our vision for digital, data and technology in health and care, what support his Department will provide to health and social care organisations to enable them to spend money wisely on technology.

Matt Hancock: We will be working closely with health and care organisations to understand how we mandate and support implementation of the standards proposed in the vision. We will ensure that organisations have the guidance to help them make the right technology decisions.

NHS: ICT

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the October 2018 policy paper, The future of healthcare: our vision for digital, data and technology in health and care, what assessment his Department has made of the level of technical fluency of leaders in the NHS; and what steps he plans to take to recruit leaders with the technical fluency needed to be a competent customer.

Matt Hancock: To fulfil our vision, we need the right skills and capability at every level of the National Health Service, social care and across the system and this needs to be driven by leaders at every level. We want all health and care organisations to ensure leaders at board-level understand how data and technology drives their services and strategies and take responsibility for the digital maturity of their organisations. We also recognise the need to develop the new generation of digital leaders who can drive the information and technology transformation of the NHS. We will build on Health Education England’s work to develop the capabilities of staff and leaders in health and care to be digital-ready through initiatives such as the NHS Digital Academy, which was set up in 2017 to develop strong digital leaders who are capable of delivering change so that patient care, and the way that organisations operate, can benefit from the many improvements and innovations that modern technology has to offer. Dr Eric Topol is leading a review to assess what training and skills clinical staff will need to make the best use of artificial intelligence, robotics, genomics and digital medicine.

NHS: ICT

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the October 2018 policy paper, The future of healthcare: our vision for digital, data and technology in health and care, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of national IT programmes; and whether he has concluded that any of those programmes should be cancelled.

Matt Hancock: Some national IT will always be required but most will be bought or built locally according to agreed standards.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater London

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2018 to Question 174798, how many children and young people have been admitted to A&E in London in the last 12 months.

Matt Hancock: The data is not held in the format requested.

Insulin

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the maintenance of access to insulin after the the UK leaves the EU.

Stephen Barclay: On 23 August 2018 the Department wrote to a number of pharmaceutical companies that supply the United Kingdom with medicines from, or via, the European Union/European Economic Area, asking them to ensure they have a minimum of six weeks’ additional supply in the UK, over and above their business as usual operational buffer stocks, by 29 March 2019. Since then, we have received very good engagement from industry who share our aims of ensuring continuity of medicines supply for patients is maintained and able to cope with any potential delays at the border that may arise in the short term in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Vaccination

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the (a) availability and (b) provision of (i) flu and (ii) pneumonia vaccines for people eligible for free vaccinations.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) provides flu vaccines centrally for the children’s flu programme. Centrally purchased flu vaccines are carefully monitored by PHE to ensure there is equitable distribution across England and sufficient in-date vaccine for patients who present throughout the season. General practitioners (GPs) and other providers are directly responsible for the flu vaccine supplies used to deliver the national flu programme to the other eligible groups. PHE maintains oversight to help facilitate a constant supply of vaccine, liaising with vaccine manufacturers to ascertain whether there are any manufacturing problems which could impact the running of the national programme. Pneumococcal vaccine PPV23 is not centrally procured; the vaccine is purchased by individual GPs or hospital trusts. The Department monitors the supplies of vaccines and other pharmaceutical products purchased by the National Health Service. They supply regular updates to the field and GPs can check the current supply position by contacting the Department’s Medicine Supply team.

Food: Standards

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the effect of leaving the EU on food standards in the UK.

Steve Brine: The Government, including the Food Standards Agency, is committed to maintaining the United Kingdom’s high standard of food safety and ensuring we take a risk-based, proportionate approach that prioritises public health and the interests of consumers. We are investigating a range of solutions to ensure that from day one, food is as safe as it is now. Maintaining a robust and effective regulatory regime for ensuring the safety of food remains a high priority as the UK prepares to leave the European Union.

Social Services: Bureaucracy

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,  if he will make an assessment of the average proportion of the working week that social workers spend completing paperwork and other follow-up administrative procedures relating to the main part of their employment.

Caroline Dinenage: This information is not centrally held.

Lung Diseases: Rehabilitation

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) the effectiveness and (b) value for money of pulmonary rehabilitation as a treatment for people with (a) chronic breathlessness and (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Steve Brine: Pulmonary rehabilitation is one of the most effective treatments for chronic lung disease. National programmes such as the Elective Care Programme, NHS RightCare and Getting it Right First Time are focusing on respiratory disease management and have outlined the benefits that improvements in this area can bring to patients. In particular, the NHS RightCare chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) pathway, which is now being rolled out nationally through clinical commissioning groups, includes timely access to pulmonary rehabilitation as part of the optimal treatment pathway. Ongoing access to pulmonary rehabilitation services is monitored through the national COPD audit. Pulmonary rehabilitation reduces morbidity, mortality and hospital attendances in people with COPD disabled by their disease. Both the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the British Thoracic Society advocate referral to pulmonary rehabilitation programmes for individuals with COPD. Pulmonary rehabilitation is highly cost-effective. It is substantially below the NICE threshold for cost-effectiveness, as shown by the National Health Service pulmonary rehabilitation service specification.

Breast Cancer: Nurses

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS Long-Term Plan will include actions to ensure that every secondary breast cancer patient has access to a dedicated secondary breast cancer clinical nurse specialist.

Steve Brine: The NHS Long Term Plan provides an excellent opportunity to look at how cancer and other services can be further improved over the next decade. The plan is currently in development and will be published later in 2018. Health Education England (HEE) published its first ever Cancer Workforce Plan for England in December 2017. The plan set out how HEE will support the expansion of cancer clinical nurse specialists (CNS) so that every patient has access to a CNS or other support worker by 2021 by developing national competencies and a clear route into training.

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the forthcoming long-term plan for the NHS tackles the backlog of appointments for elective surgery which occurs after each winter period.

Stephen Barclay: The National Health Service Long-Term Plan will set out how the NHS will develop over the coming years. This will be supported by an extra £20.5 billion a year in real terms by 2023/24. This provides an opportunity to look at how elective surgery and other services can be further improved over the next decade. The plan is currently in development and will be published later in the year.

Lung Diseases: Rehabilitation

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase patient access to pulmonary rehabilitation.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the NHS long-term plan includes an expansion of pulmonary rehabilitation services.

Steve Brine: Pulmonary rehabilitation is one of the most effective treatments for chronic lung disease. Respiratory care is one of the areas being considered as part of the National Health Service long-term plan currently in development and new guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence are due to be published in December. The Department is committed to increasing access to pulmonary rehabilitation and improving the quality of care for people with long-term respiratory conditions through the following actions:- a national roll out of the RightCare programme by NHS England which directs clinical commissioning groups to offer pulmonary rehabilitation as part of an optimal pathway for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients;- the COPD best practice tariff encourages NHS providers to refer patients for pulmonary rehabilitation as a financial incentive; and- a pulmonary rehabilitation service accreditation programme run by the Royal College of Physicians.

Mental Health Services: West Midlands

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money the NHS has spent on mental health services in the West Midlands in each year since 2010.

Matt Hancock: The following tables show expenditure on mental health, including learning disabilities. NHS England does not hold information on mental health spend prior to 2013/14. West Midlands specialised commissioning hub expenditure on mental health services (includes learning disabilities) Year2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18Expenditure £ million156.8162.6161.4156.7155.3 Notes: The specialised commissioning spend is contracted expenditure for the West Midlands specialised commissioning hub and as such will include expenditure for some service users who reside outside of the West Midlands. The figures also include learning disability spend. The figures for West Midlands Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Mental Health spend will relate to West Midlands residents/patients and include spend on learning disabilities and dementia. West Midlands CCG expenditure on mental health services for West Midlands residents and patients including spend on learning disabilities and dementia  Total mental health spendOrganisation2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18 £ million£ million£ million£ million£ millionNHS Wolverhampton CCG35.332.941.646.646.5NHS Dudley CCG38.848.645.948.350.9NHS Walsall CCG54.544.364.362.161.0NHS Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG71.783.595.6102.696.5NHS Solihull CCG28.6146.050.643.144.0NHS Birmingham and CrossCity CCG105.8124.9134.8141.5149.0NHS Birmingham South and Central CCG39.750.064.268.065.9NHS Warwickshire North CCG23.523.134.936.434.8NHS Coventry and Rugby CCG83.283.092.799.0101.3NHS South Warwickshire CCG35.643.649.451.049.9NHS Herefordshire CCG33.736.936.838.039.1NHS South Worcestershire CCG40.541.444.046.239.7NHS Wyre Forest CCG19.515.818.219.317.0NHS Redditch and Bromsgrove CCG27.022.325.426.723.5Total637.3696.2798.4828.9819.1 Note: Figures for CCG expenditure for 2015/16 and 2016/17 are slightly higher than those published in the online dashboard as they are outturn expenditure, whereas the online dashboard excludes non-recurrent spending in order to help make the figures more comparable over time. The financial values have been consolidated through the use of National Programme of Care (NPoC) codes and are taken from NHS England’s annual CCG expenditure exercise. This exercise uses Provider Aggregate Contract Monitoring (ACM) as the basis for the data; where this data is incomplete hubs will apportion / estimate any missing values.

Medical Records: Databases

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) cost and capability of the in-house electronic health records system developed by Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and (b) feasibility of replicating that system throughout the NHS.

Matt Hancock: There has not been any formal assessment of the cost and capability of the in-house electronic health records system in use in the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust or the feasibility of replicating such a system across the National Health Service in England. The availability of electronic health records is a key element of providing digitally enabled services and we expect all trusts to implement such systems. It is a local decision on how best to achieve this, taking into account the digital systems already in place and the capacity and capability available to implement a solution.

Doctors: Training

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of funding additional domestic medical student places to meet recent changes in the level of NHS demand.

Stephen Barclay: The Government has announced a record increase of an additional 1,500 medical school places for domestic students in England – 630 started this September, with a further 690 starting in 2019/20 and the final 180 in 2020/21. This expansion will also deliver five brand new medical schools in Sunderland, Lancashire, Chelmsford, Lincoln and Canterbury. On the back of the additional £20 billion additional National Health Service funding, NHS leaders are currently producing a long-term plan that will include proposals for the NHS workforce, training and leadership, which the Government will consider and respond to in due course.

Immigrants: Health Services

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2018 to Question 179266 on Health Services: Immigrants, if he will publish the methodology and background data used to calculate the estimate of £470 per surcharge payer per annum.

Stephen Barclay: The Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2018 was introduced in Parliament on Thursday 11 October 2018 alongside a published impact assessment which is available at the following link: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2018/126/pdfs/ukia_20180126_en.pdf

NHS: Pensions

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2018 to Question 179294, whether the additional funding agreed for further costs arising from actuarial revaluations of the NHS Pension Scheme will be allocated from (a) the existing five-year settlement or (b) an increase in that settlement.

Stephen Barclay: In line with the announcement on the long-term funding settlement for the National Health Service, funding agreed to meet the costs arising from actuarial valuation of the NHS Pension Scheme is provided in addition to the five-year funding settlement for the NHS.

Department for International Development

Africa: Female Genital Mutilation

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, What recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in African Governments on legislation to end Female Genital Mutilation.

Alistair Burt: The UK is proud to support the Africa-led movement to end FGM. We are a global leader on this issue, having made the largest ever donor commitment to ending FGM and galvanised others to take action of their own through our international Girl Summit. The UK regularly discusses ending FGM at a range of fora; most recently via our Special Envoy for Gender Equality at a high level meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2018. Since 2013, DFID-funded programmes have supported The Gambia and Nigeria to make the practice illegal, and have supported Egypt, Mauritania and Uganda to strengthen their laws. 24 out of 29 FGM-affected countries now have national or subnational laws that prohibit FGM.

Developing Countries: Education

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the amount of Official Development Assistance to be allocated by her Department to the International Financing Facility for Education.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she plans to announce the Government's financial commitment to the International Financing Facility for Education.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK supports the principle of a new financing mechanism for education led by the multilateral development banks to target the financing gap in lower middle income countries. Once the technical design work has been concluded by the Education Commission and the multilateral development banks I will set out the UK’s final position.

Leader of the House

Voyeurism

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Leader of the House, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the allocation of time in the House to debate the (a) issue of (b) legislative proposals on upskirting.

Andrea Leadsom: I am pleased the Government has introduced the Voyeurism Bill and it continues to make good progress through Parliament. I continue to have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the allocation of time for business and announce the upcoming business at the weekly Business Questions on a Thursday morning.

Ministry of Justice

Bill of Rights: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he plans to have and with whom in the absence of the Northern Ireland Executive on a UK-wide Bill of Rights.

Edward Argar: We shall give further consideration to our human rights legal framework when the process of leaving the EU concludes. We will consult fully on proposals in the full knowledge of the new constitutional landscape. The Government's absolute priority remains the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland, in part, so that the people of Northern Ireland, and locally elected representatives, can decide what is right for Northern Ireland on sensitive devolved issues.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of reductions in the number of (a) prison officers and (b) experienced prison officers on the level of violence in prisons.

Rory Stewart: The causes of violence in prison are complex, but we know that the skills and availability of staff play a critical role in maintaining order. We have invested in over 3,000 additional staff in order to deliver consistent, purposeful regimes, and providing training to both new and existing staff to equip them to take on the new key worker role, in which they will provide more effective challenge and support to prisoners. Our prison staff work incredibly hard and we are under no illusions about the challenges they face. We are taking urgent action to make prisons safer, and assaults on our staff will never be tolerated. That is why we are working with the Police and Crown Prosecution Service to ensure successful prosecutions of those who assault them. It is also why the Government supported the recently passed Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act, which increases sentences for those who attack emergency workers, including prison officers. We are taking further measures to protect our staff, including investing in 5,600 body-worn cameras and in rigid-bar handcuffs. Early next year we will begin to equip every prison officer in the adult male prison estate with PAVA incapacitant spray. PAVA can help to prevent serious harm to staff and prisoners alike, as well as being a tool to persuade prisoners in the act of violence to stop. It will be deployed only in prisons that have rolled out key workers, and in which staff have been properly trained.

Offenders: Females

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timescale is for implementation of the Female Offender Strategy which was published in June 2018; and how the success of that strategy is planned to be measured.

Edward Argar: The Female Offender Strategy launched a programme of work that will take some years to deliver. It included some early key deliverables, such as the £3.5m Community Investment Fund competition which is part of our wider £5m investment in community provision between 2018-2020. We expect to announce successful grant bids in November. Lord Farmer’s Review of family ties for female offenders in custody and the community is due to report by the end of the year.We are currently engaging with stakeholders on our plans for Residential Women’s Centre pilots to refine our thinking around the potential design and delivery of the pilots. After this period of market engagement, we will look to open a procurement process. Our timeline is subject to the findings of our engagement process.We are putting robust governance in place, to ensure delivery of the strategy’s aims. This includes a strengthened minister-led Advisory Board, with new stakeholder members to ensure that we have the right expertise to provide advice and challenge to Government. Plans for monitoring and evaluating the progress of the strategy are currently in development.

Prisoners: Self-harm

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the document entitled Self-harm by adult men in prison: A rapid evidence assessment, published by HM Prison and Probation Service in September 2018, whether he plans to provide training on self-harm in male prisoners for staff working in prisons as a result of the statement in that document that poor staff knowledge and attitudes play a role in influencing self-harm.

Rory Stewart: This report helpfully draws together the findings of the key research on self-harm in prisons in the UK and beyond, and its conclusions have informed the development of our prison safety programme, including the training that we provide for staff. In 2017 we introduced an improved course known as Introduction to Suicide and Self-Harm prevention, which is being delivered to all new prison officers, and as refresher training to existing staff with prisoner contact. So far it has reached over 17,000 staff, and over 8,000 have been trained in all six modules. We have also worked with the Samaritans to develop a suicide prevention learning tool, which uses a series of short films to build staff understanding of self-harm and suicide and give them greater confidence to engage with prisoners who may be at risk.

Prisons: Sexual Offences

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies to tackle sexual assaults in prisons of the report by his Department entitled, Sexual Assaults Reported in Prisons: Exploratory Findings from Analysis of Incident Descriptions, published in September 2018.

Rory Stewart: The report includes the exploratory findings of a study based on staff descriptions of reported sexual assaults as part of the incident reporting process. It provides important contextual information - for instance, that a proportion of incidents reported as sexual assault involved multiple assailants attempting to retrieve contraband. We take all assaults in custody extremely seriously, including sexual assaults. All incidents that are reported as sexual assault are referred to the police for investigation. We provide a range of support to those who report them and we take appropriate action to prevent repeat victimisation.

Merseyside Community Rehabilitation Company

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report by HM Inspectorate of Probation into Merseyside Community Rehabilitation Company that rated that Community Rehabilitation Company as inadequate.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the September 2018 report by HM Inspectorate of Probation into Merseyside Community Rehabilitation Company, what assessment his Department has made of the performance of Community Rehabilitation Companies; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: The HM Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) report into Merseyside Community Rehabilitation Company, published on 26 September 2018, awarded the service a rating of ‘requires improvement’. The Ministry of Justice takes seriously the findings of HMIP in relation to Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and will work with the provider to ensure that an appropriate plan is in place to address the identified areas for improvement. We have been clear that overall CRC performance must improve, and are taking decisive action to stabilise and improve the delivery of probation services, including by investing £22m per year to enhance ‘Through The Gate’ services and introducing minimum standards so that all providers offer monthly face-to-face meetings with offenders during the first 12 months of supervision. In September we concluded a public consultation on proposals to end current CRC contracts early and introduce new arrangements for delivering probation services that will better integrate public, private and third sector probation providers, and better support probation staff who have a key role to play in reducing re-offending and protecting the public. We will bring forward more detailed plans early next year.

Probation: Greater London

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has of the (a) level of outstanding adult offender caseload and (b) utilisation rate at (i) Camberwell Green Magistrates Court and (ii) Croydon Magistrates Court.

Lucy Frazer: (a) The number of outstanding adult offender cases as at 30 June 2018 at Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court is 1,995 and 1,186 cases at Croydon Magistrates’ Court. (b) The utilisation rate for the period July 2017 to June 2018 at Camberwell Green Magistrates’ and Youth Court is 77.3% and at Croydon Magistrates’ Court is 68.4%. A review of individual court room usage, supported by building improvement works, is enabling Croydon Magistrates’ Court to accommodate transferred work from Camberwell.

Road Traffic Offences

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drivers that have been subject to a driving ban commit further driving offences after the expiry of their driving ban.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice do not hold data on drivers committing further driving offences after the expiry of their driving ban. The Department for Transport record data on disqualified drivers and hold the policy on driving disqualifications.

Debt Collection: Regulation

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to establish an independent body to provide for the regulation of enforcement agents.

Lucy Frazer: The Government will launch a call for evidence shortly to evaluate the enforcement agent reforms introduced by the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. Evidence received from the call for evidence will be used to inform our assessment of the current regulation of the industry, and options for further reform.

Treasury

Peugeot: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make assessment he has made of the effect on the economy in Coventry as a result of the relocation of the Peugeot warehouse in Coventry to Luton; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The relocation of the Peugeot warehouse from Coventry to Luton is a commercial decision for the company. Ministers and officials meet representatives of automotive sector companies regularly, including PSA (owner of Peugeot and Vauxhall) on a range of issues.

Prudential Regulation Authority

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason access to the alternative remedies package has been limited only to applicants authorised by the Prudential Regulatory Authority to take deposits.

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on access to alternative remedies package funds the employment of senior people historically connected to RBS GRG unit will have.

John Glen: The Alternative Remedies Package (ARP) is the package of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)-funded measures agreed in September 2017 between HM Government and the European Commission (EC) as a resolution to RBS’ final State aid commitment to divest the business formerly known as Williams & Glyn. The ARP design and eligibility criteria were agreed with the EC following a period of extensive consultation with financial service providers and UK regulators. Banking Competition Remedies Ltd (BCR) is the independent body established to implement the ARP. Final decisions on award allocation will be made by BCR. The eligibility criteria can be found on BCR’s website (https://bcr-ltd.com/). Non PRA-regulated firms may apply for Pool D of the Capability and Innovation Fund, which makes available £25 million of funding to facilitate the commercialisation of financial technology that is relevant to SMEs.

Banks: Fraud

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to address banking fraud; and what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of those steps.

John Glen: The Government takes fraud very seriously and is determined to make it more difficult for fraudsters to operate. The independent financial services regulator – the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – requires banks to maintain effective systems and controls to prevent the risk that they might be used to further financial crime. This includes controls to prevent fraud. Under the Money Laundering Regulations firms must carry out customer due diligence measures to identify customers and check that they are who they say they are. If the FCA found evidence that a regulated firm did not undertake appropriate due diligence checks, that firm would be in breach of the Money Laundering Regulations and the FCA could consider what regulatory tools might be appropriate under such circumstances. The Government also supports the work that the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) is driving forward, in conjunction with industry, consumer groups and other regulatory and Government bodies, to tackle Authorised Push Payment scams, in which individuals are tricked into sending money online. In April this year, the PSR established a Steering Group of financial institutions and consumer representatives to develop an industry code to help prevent these kinds of scams. In September, the Steering Group published the draft code for consultation and intends to finalise the code in early 2019. It is also important that victims of fraud are provided with adequate support, and that the public is equipped with the information they need to spot a scam and stand up to fraudsters. That’s why the Government has invested in a new IT system for Action Fraud, which is the UK’s national reporting point for fraud and cybercrime. This new system will deliver significant improvements, both for victims reporting fraud and cybercrimes, and for law enforcement in investigating these crimes. The banking industry has also taken important steps to prevent fraud, including through the Banking Protocol - a rapid response scheme through which branch staff can alert police and Trading Standards to suspected frauds taking place. The system is now operational in every police force area and in the first six months of this year prevented £14.6 million in fraud and led to 100 arrests.

Employment: Taxation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HMRC have (a) paid out to individuals overtaxed and (b) written off due to the Check employment status for tax service making incorrect employment status determinations.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will introduce to HMRC an internal appeals process to allow workers to challenge an employment status determination.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2018 to Question 178495 on Tax Avoidance, how many IR35 tribunal cases were unsuccessful in each of the last ten years.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse has been on IR35 court cases in each of the last five years.

Mel Stride: The Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) digital service is a part of a package of guidance and support that helps customers to determine employment status. Its use is not mandatory, however, if it is completed correctly and in accordance with our guidance and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will stand by the result. HMRC has not paid out or written off any tax due to determinations made by CEST.  There are existing processes for workers to review employment status decisions. Off-payroll workers in the public sector, found to be within the off-payroll working rules (IR35), who believe they have been wrongly classified should first take this up with their engager whose responsibility it is to make the determination. The existing process can be found on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ir35-find-out-if-it-applies#further-help-with-the-off-payroll-working-rules In the last ten years HMRC has taken twelve IR35 cases to tribunal. They have lost in nine of the cases. The vast majority of the decisions on status are straightforward and do not involve litigation. It is right that HMRC litigates more finely balanced cases, particularly where they are complex or unusual. Off-payroll working litigation is carried out by a number of HMRC teams. These teams are also involved in other tax litigation and as a result, we do not hold specific information relating to the cost of off-payroll working court cases in the last five years.

Revenue and Customs: Cumbernauld

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the lease is due to end on the HMRC office in Cumbernauld.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the lease on the HMRC office in Cumbernauld includes an option to extend its duration.

Mel Stride: The lease for the HMRC office in Cumbernauld, Accounts Office, ends in April 2021. HMRC has the option to extend the lease to allow it to remain in the property until the Glasgow Regional Centre opens.

National Insurance Contributions: Older Workers

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the revenue to be accrued to the public purse of people of official retirement age paying National Insurance when in work at (a) the standard and (b) a reduced rate.

Mel Stride: The “Estimated costs of principal tax reliefs” publication, sets out an estimate of the cost of the exemption of those over State pension age from paying National Insurance. It is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/main-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs  According to this publication it is estimated that the cost of this exemption is around £1.1bn in 2017-18. The estimates do not allow for any behavioural changes as a result of the reliefs. In practice if a relief was withdrawn, taxpayers’ behaviour would often alter so that the actual yield would be very different from, and often smaller than, that shown in the tables.

Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made on the effect of the level of poverty on (a) the cost of public services, and b) revenue accrued to the public purse.

Elizabeth Truss: The government is focused on tackling the root causes of poverty, such as education and worklessness, to improve the lives of people in our country. Since 2010 the number of people in poverty has fallen – there are 1,000,000 fewer people, including 300,000 fewer children, in absolute poverty (before housing costs), both record lows. Helping people off welfare and into work, helps the economy grow, means we can spend more on other priorities like the NHS and infrastructure and gives more people the opportunity to get on in life. Since 2010 there are 3.3m more people in work and the unemployment rate is at its lowest since 1975.HM Treasury does not analyse the aggregate impact of the level of poverty on public services and government revenue.

Ports: Infrastructure

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) financial and (b) technical support the Government has made available for port operators to put in place the required infrastructure for when the UK leaves the EU.

Mel Stride: The Government remains confident we will agree a mutually advantageous deal with the EU, and is committed to ensuring that trade is as frictionless as possible through UK ports. HMG is working together with key industry partners, and, in particular the ports, to plan for all possible scenarios and take account of industry views on what is deliverable and practicable, including with respect to infrastructure and IT.

Research and Development Expenditure Credit

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money has been claimed under the Research and Development Allowance in each of the last five years.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of claims under the Research and development Allowance related to expenditure incurred for providing facilities for carrying our research and development in each of the last five years.

Mel Stride: The government is unable to produce an estimate for the amount of relief claimed under Research and Development Allowances (RDAs) in the last five years, as data cannot be separately identified.  HMRC verifies that capital expenditure on which RDAs are claimed relates to research and development, but it does not collect data on the particular uses of qualifying expenditure (such as whether this is spend on buildings and facilities, or other types of equipment).

European Investment Bank

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 23 July 2018 to question 165011 on European Investment Bank, what assessment he has made in terms of value of bonds and loans issued or supported, of the expansion of the UK Guarantees Scheme to provide construction guarantees since June 2017.

Robert Jenrick: Changes to the value of bonds and loans covered by the UK Guarantees Scheme are announced via Written Ministerial Statement and published on GOV.UK, at the time when new guarantees are issued. The Infrastructure (Financial Assistance) Act 2012 provides an annual report to Parliament which includes the amounts covered by any guarantees. The last update, for year ending 31 March 2018, was published on 19 July 2018.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Buprenorphine

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to increase local authority funding for substance misuse services as a result of changes in the cost of prescribing buprenorphine.

Rishi Sunak: The Department of Health and Social Care has provided £16 billion to local authorities over five years for public health services, including for alcohol and drug treatment, and there are currently no plans to increase this funding further.

Buprenorphine

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the financial effect on substance misuse services of the changes in the cost of prescribing buprenorphine.

Rishi Sunak: The Secretary of State has not met the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to discuss the prescribing of buprenorphine. Funding to local authorities for public health is provided by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Care Homes: Insulation

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Written Statement of 9 October 2018 on Building safety update, HCWS976, whether he plans to extend the ban on combustible materials to all care homes irrespective of height.

Kit Malthouse: The Government consulted on applying the ban to residential buildings with a top storey more than 18 metres above ground level, in line with current Building Regulation’s guidance. Following analysis of consultation responses we also included, registered care premises above 18 metres. The majority of respondents to the consultation showed support for this height threshold and it will be used as the basis for the ban to be consistent with current guidance. The Government will review this height threshold as part of the wider technical review of the building regulations for fire safety set to start in the Autumn.All registered care homes are inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who liaise with local fire services as part of their on going monitoring. On inspection, CQC look at how providers are assessing fire risks to ensure the safety of the resident. The findings of the CQC assessments must be acted on without delay if improvements are required.

Controlling Migration Fund: Greater London

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to expand the Controlling Migration Fund in London to support newly recognised refugees find and sustain suitable accommodation.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The deadline for bids from local authorities for a share of the money remaining in the Controlling Migration Fund was 1 October. Proposals are being considered and successful projects will be announced in the new year. The Government will be considering the options for the future of the Fund as part of the Spending Review process.

Mobile Homes

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timeframe is for the conclusion of his Department's research into the effect of a change to the 10 per cent commission on residents of park homes and site owners on that sector.

James Brokenshire: The research needed to make an assessment of the impact of a change to the sales commission rate on park home residents and site owners, will begin in spring 2019. We will make a further announcement on the timetable in due course.

Council Tax:  Dorset

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October, Question 180627 on Council Tax: Dorset, if he will publish his preferred methodology for the calculation of the average amount of council tax across an area.

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October, Question 180627, whether the calculation of the average amount of council tax across an area includes (a) parish and (b) town council precepts.

Rishi Sunak: As I explained on 22 October to Question UIN 180627 in response to my Hon Friend's earlier question, how any average council tax is to be calculated for the purposes of any council tax harmonisation will be a matter for the council concerned acting in accordance with the secondary legislation that provides for that harmonisation of council tax.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Land

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department and its agencies have taken to support the National Pollinator Strategy on Ministry of Defence-owned land.

Stuart Andrew: Holding answer received on 15 October 2018



The Ministry of Defence (MOD) and its agencies have promoted and implemented pollinator initiatives across the defence estate to support the National Pollinator Strategy. Further information, including the department's collaboration with organisations such as Plantlife, National Parks and the Wildlife Trusts, can be found in the MOD sustainability magazine publication, Sanctuary, on the Gov.UK website at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sanctuary

Ministry of Defence: Staff

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff (a) are employed directly by (b) are seconded to and (c) work under contract to his Department.

Stuart Andrew: Holding answer received on 15 October 2018



The number of staff employed directly by the Department as at 1 April 2018 is 56,870. This is published in the Biannual Civilian Report, the April 2018 version of which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-biannual-civilian-personnel-report-2018There are currently 112 individuals in the Department who are seconded from other organisations.The number of people who work under contract in the Department is not held in the format requested.

Nuclear Powered Vessels: Construction

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the re-baselining of the core production capability project has taken place; what the forecast cost and completion date of the project is; and what assessment he has made of the best funding approach for that project.

Stuart Andrew: The funding approach for the Core Production Capability remains under review.

France: Nuclear Weapons

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much money has been spent by the UK on the joint French-UK Teutates project; whether that money is taken from the Nuclear Weapons Capability Sustainment Programme budget; and what estimate he has made of (a) the total cost to the UK of the project and (b) the timescale over which that cost is expected to be spread.

Stuart Andrew: In accordance with the TEUTATES Treaty, the building, operating and dismantling costs will be shared equitably between the UK and France. UK funding forms part of the Nuclear Warhead Capability Sustainment Programme budget.The Treaty will remain in force for the lifetime of the facilities. Further details are being withheld as their release would, or would be likely to, prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and other States and constitute a breach of confidence.

Islamic State

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the strength of Daesh, and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The Government's assessment of Daesh has not changed significantly since my right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary's statement to the House on 11 July 2018 (Official Report, column 973). The Coalition continues to target Daesh in the final pocket of territory they hold in north east Syria, which is approximately 1% of the territory they once held across both Iraq and Syria. Loss of territory has reduced their access to resources but Daesh remain a significant threat, including to Iraq from over the border with Syria. Through Coalition efforts, Daesh has lost thousands of personnel, but significant numbers of Daesh fighters remain in Syria and Iraq as well as in the surrounding region.Daesh's intent remains to strike the West and Western interests. There remains a significant threat to our interests from Daesh's affiliates. The Government therefore continues its counter-Daesh efforts. We will continue to keep the House updated on the progress of the counter-Daesh campaign.

Shipbuilding: Warships

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the National Shipbuilding Strategy restricts the definition of warships to frigates, destroyers and aircraft carriers.

Stuart Andrew: The National Shipbuilding Strategy stated that warships must be built in the UK, and defined warships as frigates, destroyers and aircraft carriers. This policy decision recognises that preserving the national capability to design, integrate and build warships is critical to national security. There is no underpinning national security reason to mandate that other Royal Navy ships are constructed in UK shipyards.

Patrol Craft: Procurement

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what competitive tender process was completed for the construction of the current River-class batch two vessels under construction on the Clyde for the Royal Navy.

Stuart Andrew: The contracts for the Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessels were awarded non-competitively to BAE Systems in order to preserve the UK sovereign capability to design, build and integrate warships and to set the entry conditions for a successful Type 26 Frigate programme.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Single Parents

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unemployed single parent households are in receipt of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 13 September 2018



The table below provides the estimated number of households on Universal Credit occupied by single parents in June 2018 by employment status. The accompanying notes should be read in conjunction with the figures provided. Estimated number of households on Universal Credit occupied by single parents, by employment status, Great Britain, June 2018   Employment StatusNumber of householdsEmployed91,000Unemployed107,000  Source: Household and people on Universal Credit datasets Notes: Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand. Individual figures may not add up to the total due to rounding. These figures have been calculated by matching the Universal Credit household dataset, which contains information about family type, with the people on Universal Credit dataset, which contains information about employment. The figure for households occupied by single parents has been deduced where the household has a family type of ‘single with child dependant(s)’. It has not been possible to determine the employment status of approximately 8,000 single parent households. A count date of the second Thursday of the month is used when calculating the statistics for the people and households on Universal Credit. An individual on Universal Credit at the count date will be recorded as in employment if they have employment earnings recorded within their completed Universal Credit assessment period closest to the count date. They may not be in employment on the count date. Further information on the background and methodology can be accessed here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/739399/universal-credit-statistics-background-methodology.pdf

Universal Credit

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2018 to Question HL9912 on universal credit, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the steps that the Government is taking to ensure the accuracy of the electronic verification of universal credit claimants who meet the eligibility criteria for free school meals.

Alok Sharma: The Department works closely with the Department for Education (DfE) to assist it deliver its Free School Meals policy. DWP has a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with DfE over the transfer of data from the Universal Credit system to the Passported Benefits Eligibility checking system. Data is received from the Universal Credit system, on a daily basis. This means that the data is at most 23 hours and 59 minutes old, depending on when the claimant / agent last updated the record. If a claimant has an open Universal Credit full service claim their take home pay is compared against the earning threshold. As a safeguard for claimants who have fluctuating earnings, the take-home pay is checked going back up to 3 months. In these cases, the take-home pay is aggregated to give an amount for use in the eligibility calculation. DfE have processes in place to inform and deal with delays to ensure no claimants lose out as a result of this.

Universal Credit

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that under managed migration welfare claimants do not miss the application deadline for their new benefit before losing their legacy benefits; and what (a) protections and (b) support she plans to put in place for those who do miss that deadline.

Alok Sharma: The regulation to enact managed migration will come before Parliament this autumn and are subject to parliamentary approval. We will only begin migrating people onto Universal Credit at volume after a careful and robust period of testing, with up to 10,000 being migrated in the test phase. We take seriously the need to support vulnerable claimants moving to Universal Credit; we will work with stakeholders and organisations to understand the best way to support all of our customers to move to Universal Credit. Through a safe and gradual start for Managed Migration, we will be able to determine the best way to support everyone to successfully move to Universal Credit. In our high-level design for managed migration, there is a comprehensive preparation period for claimants, which will last between four to six months. During this time, claimants will receive initial communications to alert them to the fact their legacy benefits will be ending and that they need to make a claim for Universal Credit. These communications will also outline the additional support available to help them to make their claim. After this period, claimants will receive a migration notification which sets out the timescale for them to make their Universal Credit claim. The regulations set out a minimum of one month but there is flexibility to extend this period if it is identified that certain claimants, such as those who are vulnerable or have complex needs, require longer timescales to make their Universal Credit claim. There is no limit on the number of times that a claimant may ask to extend their deadline, providing that they have a good reason for doing so. Each request for an extension will be considered on its own meritsDuring the notification period, claimants who have not already made a Universal Credit claim by a certain point will also be reminded that they will have to make a Universal Credit claim by their deadline. This contact also makes it possible for agents to gauge whether a claimant is having difficulty in making a Universal Credit claim and take action if needed by extending the deadline for the Universal Credit claim to be made or arranging appropriate support to help the claimant complete the migration process.In the event that a claimant fails to make a Universal Credit claim before their deadline, an agent will check for evidence of complex needs or vulnerability before the existing benefits are stopped, to ensure that these claimants are safeguarded. Anyone who fails to claim by their given deadline, but does so within a month after that deadline, will have their claim backdated and be considered for Transitional Protection if they meet the prescribed criteria.

Unemployed People: Basic Skills

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support unemployed adults without basic literacy skills.

Alok Sharma: Jobcentre Plus works in partnership with local training providers to deliver essential communication skills, numeracy skills, digital literacy skills and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training to unemployed benefit claimants in England, Scotland and Wales. Wider adult education and skills policy is the responsibility of the Department for Education in England and devolved to the Scottish and Welsh Governments in Scotland and Wales.

Families: Disadvantaged

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in which local authority areas the £39 million is being spent in reducing parental conflict through evidence-based interventions; over what time periods that money is being spent; whether there are plans to make service universal; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: There are 31 local authorities (listed below) who will be testing DWP-funded face-to-face interventions to reduce parental conflict. We are spending approximately £12m on these face-to-face interventions, which will be targeted at disadvantaged families – especially workless families, who face triple the risk of experiencing damaging parental conflict. The first referrals will be in April 2019 and interventions will take place for two years. By 31 March 2019, we will also have made available approximately £9m to build local capability in reducing parental conflict. We are providing all local authorities in England with funding to work with their local partners to increase their strategic capability in embedding proven parental conflict support, and we will also be funding training for frontline practitioners, to help them to identify relationship distress; provide initial support; and to refer appropriately. On 23 April 2018 the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Work and Pensions announced £6m for a jointly funded package of measures to support children of alcohol dependent parents. This package will run for three years and includes:£4.5 million Innovation Fund for local authorities to develop plans that improve outcomes for children whose parents are dependent on alcohol and experiencing conflict£1 million to fund national capacity building by non-governmental organisations£500,000 to expand national helplines for children with alcohol dependent parents The areas which have been successful in their Innovation Fund bids are due to be announced shortly. We will also be working closely with all local authorities in England, including providing expert advice and support through a team of Regional Integration Leads to help local areas to integrate support to reduce parental conflict into mainstream provision for children and families. This will help to ensure that more mothers and fathers can access support to reduce parental conflict. Further announcements will be made on other aspects of the programme in due course. Local Authorities where Face to Face Interventions will be delivered:Westminster, Brent, Croydon, Lambeth, Kensington & Chelsea, Camden, Hammersmith & Fulham, Gateshead, Stockton, Sunderland, South Tyneside, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, Newcastle, Northumberland, Hartlepool, Durham, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Southend, Essex, Buckinghamshire, Peterborough, Dorset, Somerset, Bournemouth, Plymouth, Devon, Wiltshire, Poole, Torbay.

Universal Credit: Glasgow North East

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many constituents in Glasgow North East constituency in receipt of legacy benefits will be financially worse off as a result of the universal credit full service migration at Springburn Job Centre from 31 October 2018.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 23 October 2018



The Department does not hold data at constituency level on the number of claimants who will naturally migrate to Universal Credit. Universal Credit Full Service will be rolled out at Springburn Jobcentre on 31 October 2018. This will not affect existing benefit entitlements for claimants whose circumstances remain the same. Claimants will move from existing benefits to Universal Credit through natural migration or managed migration. Natural migration occurs when they experience a change in their circumstances that would trigger the need for a new claim to benefit. Rather than continuing to claim a legacy benefit, the claimant will claim Universal Credit and their Universal Credit award will be based on their new circumstances. No one will have a reduced benefit entitlement at the point that they move over to Universal Credit as a result of managed migration, and one million more disabled people will get, on average, £110 more a week through Universal Credit.

Children: Maintenance

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents at the time of their annual review had their child maintenance calculated from income that was earned more than two years from the date of that assessment.

Justin Tomlinson: We do not currently report on the tax years used in the calculation of Annual Reviews. In the spirit of answering the question asked, at the Initial Calculation stage we use income from the following: 82% from HMRC, 9% from Benefit systems and the remaining 9% from Paying Parents or Employers. Recent sampling of the HMRC supplied information shows 82% of Initial assessments use income data from the last two tax years (2017/18 & 2016/17), 10% from previous years and 8% have no tax year provided and will not be used to calculate the assessment.

Children: Maintenance

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps HMRC is taking to ensure that records on the income of Child Maintenance Service non-resident parents are kept up to date.

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of only using the most recent income data in order to calculate child maintenance payments for a non-resident parent.

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how HMRC determines which full year income records are classed as complete for a taxpayer in order to calculate child maintenance payments.

Justin Tomlinson: Basing the assessment on HMRC data has enabled the Child Maintenance Service to significantly speed up the set-up of new cases which can be key to securing regular payments. The previous approach of obtaining the information from parents often led to considerable delays and significant arrears building up on cases right from the start. Child maintenance is reviewed annually using HMRC data to make sure it is in line with a parent’s circumstances. Between those reviews, parents are required to report any changes in their income that are greater than 25 percent – such changes will trigger a reassessment of the maintenance due. Income information is provided by HMRC under a data sharing agreement for the most recent complete tax year they hold within the last six years. HMRC determines a tax year as complete when they have accounted for all Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and Self Assessment records. Each year HMRC receive and process income figures from 33 million Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and 3.3 million Self-Assessment customers. HMRC undertakes compliance activity to ensure that the data reported to them is accurate. My Department has recently laid regulations which would allow a notional income to be assessed from certain assets. This will ensure that parents who are able to organise their financial affairs to minimise their taxable income, still have an obligation to pay maintenance for their children at a level which reflects their financial circumstances.

Social Security Benefits: Children

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the evidential base is for the claim that the two-child limit policy will encourage families to reflect carefully on their readiness to support an additional child; and how that claim relates to families who already have two or more children.

Alok Sharma: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to Question 181634 on 24 October 2018.

Employment and Support Allowance: Ross, Skye and Lochaber

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency in receipt of employment and support allowance have been affected by her Department's errors in the calculations of benefits.

Sarah Newton: We are not able to make robust estimates of the numbers of cases likely to be due arrears as part of the exercise to correct underpayments of Employment and Support Allowance, at regional or parliamentary constituency level. All estimated numbers and amounts are available at national level only. We are focusing our efforts on contacting all potentially affected individuals to ensure they are paid as quickly as possible. A Written Statement and Frequently Asked Question document was deposited in the House of Commons Library on Wednesday 17th October which can be found at http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/. Ad hoc statistics can also be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esa-underpayments-forecast-numbers-affected-forecast-expenditure-and-progress-on-checking.

Employment and Support Allowance

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the lessons learned from the errors in the calculation of payments of employment and support allowance.

Sarah Newton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the urgent question on 18 October 2018: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2018-10-18/debates/3FBBBA7F-57A4-460C-AE64-C58BA2A44F1E/EmploymentAndSupportAllowanceUnderpayments We have learned a great deal from this exercise. As we have regularly told the House and Select Committees, the culture and mechanisms in the Department for spotting errors have been fundamentally reviewed. As we have discussed at length—this is a matter of public record—people in the Department and stakeholders came forward and pointed out some of the problems with the migration, but the Department responded in the belief that they were a series of one-off errors.

Severe Disability Premium

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will permanently increase transitional payments for the severe disability premium to £183 per month and provide similar protections to disabled children, disabled adults under 25 and parents under 25.

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to Written Statement of 7 June 2018 on Universal Credit, HCWS745, if she will ensure that transitional protection for people entitled to Severe Disability Premium will not fall below £183 per month; if she will make this a permanent top-up to universal credit; and if she will extend these arrangements to (a) disabled children, (b) disabled adults (c) under 25s and (d) parents under 25.

Sarah Newton: Our draft regulations setting out our proposals for managed migration and the consideration of Transitional Protection were sent to the Social Security Advisory Committee in June 2018. These include provisions to help provide financial support for existing and former Severe Disability Premium recipients. The details set out in the UC draft managed migration regulations confirm that we are spending £3.1 billion on Transitional Protections for 1.3 million claimants, to ensure that no one loses out at the point of transition. We are also spending an additional £1.4 billion on protection for 500,000 claimants receiving Severe Disability Premium; these regulations will prevent these claimants from moving over before the managed migration process, and provide financial protection for those who have already moved over. The Committee referred these for a formal public consultation. We are currently considering the Committee’s report on the result of this consultation together with their recommendations with regard to our proposals. We will be issuing that report and our response to it when we bring the draft regulations before Parliament in the autumn.

Universal Credit

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will ensure that those whose earnings temporarily increase above the threshold for receipt of universal credit will continue to qualify for transitional protection if they become eligible for universal credit again within nine months.

Alok Sharma: Our draft regulations setting out our proposals for managed migration and the consideration of transitional protection were sent to the Social Security Advisory Committee in June 2018 and the Committee referred these for a formal public consultation. We are currently considering the Committee’s report on the result of this consultation together with their recommendations with regard to our proposals. We will be issuing that report and our response to it when we bring the draft regulations before Parliament in the autumn.

Universal Credit

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason her Department's classifies a student loan as income in the calculation of universal credit payments.

Alok Sharma: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to Question 179316 on 18 October 2018.

Universal Credit

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the reasons are for the different rates for the standard allowance of universal credit for claimants aged (a) under 25, and (b) 25 and over; and what comparative assessment her Department has made of the difference in the cost of living for those two groups of people.

Alok Sharma: The lower rates for younger claimants who are under the age of 25 years reflects the fact that they are more likely to live in someone else's household and have lower living costs and lower earnings expectations. This also reinforces the stronger work incentives that Universal Credit creates for this age group.Universal Credit also includes support for housing costs, children and childcare costs and support for disabled people and carers.As the differing rates broadly reflect those in the currently legacy benefits system, no comparative assessment has been made.

Carer's Allowance: Prosecutions

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many prosecutions for fraud of Carers Allowance there has been as a result of earnings exceeding the threshold by (a) less than 10 per cent, (b) less than 20 percent, (c) less than 10 per cent after deductions and (d) less than 20 per cent  after deductions in each of the last ten years.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has a duty to protect public funds and an obligation to ensure that, overpaid benefit payments are recovered in accordance with the appropriate social security legislation. DWP does not routinely publish prosecution statistics and the specific information requested is not available at a granular level. This could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Carers Allowance claimants would only be deemed to have been overpaid if their earnings exceeded the earnings threshold after allowable deductions have been taken into account.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times her Department has contacted the doctor or healthcare worker of a benefits claimant to request medical evidence for their claim in each of the last 10 years.

Sarah Newton: Where further medical evidence is required, it will be requested directly from a Doctor or Healthcare worker. In the majority of cases, further medical evidence will be requested by a Health Professional who is directly involved with the case. DWP do not hold this level of Management Information across all benefits.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many internal audits of claimant health assessments were carried out by the organisations responsible for (a) work capability and (b) personal independence payment assessments in each year for which information is available.

Sarah Newton: Internal audit, as carried out by the suppliers, is one element of the supplier quality management regime, which is subject to ongoing review. Information on the internal audit of our Assessment Providers is not a contractual MI requirement and the collective information you have requested is not available.

Department for Work and Pensions: Contracts

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of contracts between her Department and charities include a gagging clause; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: These clauses do not prevent the contracting bodies from making statements critical of government policy or politicians, and certainly do not prevent whistle-blowing (as this would be unlawful). They are designed to protect government, to ensure that contractors adhere to good working practices and do not engage in activities that will bring the Authority into disrepute or otherwise harm the confidence of the public in Government.

Poverty: Lone Parents

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report by the Social Metrics Commission, A new measure of poverty in the UK, published in September 2018, what steps her Department is taking to support single parent families that live in poverty.

Justin Tomlinson: Work offers people the best opportunity to get out of poverty. Children of lone parent workless families are around 4 times more likely to be in poverty than those where their parent works full time. We are helping lone parents with the biggest challenges they face. Universal Credit is a modern welfare system where work always pays. Since April 2016, the Universal Credit childcare element covers up to 85% of eligible costs, compared with 70% in the legacy tax credits system. Lone parents are also no longer incentivised to work just 16 hours, unlike the legacy system. National Statistics show there are 100k fewer children of lone parents in absolute poverty than 2010.We welcome the work that the Social Metrics Commission has done. Measuring poverty is complex, and this report offers further insight into that complexity and the additional measures that can be taken into consideration. From discussions with SMC they acknowledge that further work needs to be done (particularly around data availability and quality). We will carefully consider their recommendations and the detail behind the methodology they have employed when this has been made available.

Universal Credit: Depressive Illnesses

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people claimants of universal credit with a diagnosis of depression (a) not receive an award after their initial assessment and (b) received an award after tribunal.

Sarah Newton: This information is not readily available and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment: Multiple Sclerosis

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the effect of the 20 metre rule in personal independence payment criteria on the (a) level of support received by people living with multiple sclerosis and (b) costs to other Departments of providing related services.

Sarah Newton: The information requested to estimate the effect of the 20 metre rule in Personal Independence Payment (PIP) on the level of support received by people with multiple sclerosis is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. 52 per cent of claimants whose main disabling condition is recorded as being multiple sclerosis receive the highest level of support under PIP, compared to just 39 per cent Disability Living Allowance. The Department does not hold the data requested on the costs to other Departments of providing related services. The 20 metre distance was introduced in PIP to distinguish those whose mobility is significantly more limited than others and who face even greater barriers on a day to day basis – those who have the highest need. Individuals who can walk more than 20 metres can still receive the enhanced rate of the PIP mobility component, if they cannot do so safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period.

Universal Credit: Scotland

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department’s timetable is for providing automatic split payments of universal credit in Scotland.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit Scottish Choices (Flexibilities), including split payments, are a matter for the Scottish Government as part of the Scotland Act 2016. We continue to work closely with the Scottish Government to support the development and implementation of this policy.

Universal Credit

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) promote the option of universal credit split payments and (b) reduce the risks from selecting that option.

Alok Sharma: Split payments are available to claimants to prevent hardship and are considered in certain circumstances, such as in cases of domestic violence, financial abuse or where one partner has mismanaged the household finances. Our staff work closely with claimants, ensuring that any vulnerability is identified at an early stage; and tailor the support they provide to the claimant’s needs. No information relating to the split payment, including why a split payment has been granted, is recorded on the claimant’s individual online journal or shared with the other member of the couple.

Universal Credit

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to carry out a new equality impact assessment of universal credit; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: In line with Ministers’ legal duties equality impacts have been considered on all major changes to Universal Credit.

Department for Work and Pensions: Contracts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's policy is on the use of gagging clauses in contracts with third parties issued by her Department.

Justin Tomlinson: These clauses do not prevent the contracting bodies from making statements critical of government policy or politicians, and certainly do not prevent whistle-blowing (as this would be unlawful). They are designed to protect government, to ensure that contractors adhere to good working practices and do not engage in activities that will bring the Authority into disrepute or otherwise harm the confidence of the public in Government.

Universal Credit

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of allocating funding to enable the work allowance threshold for universal credit to be set at its pre-2015 level.

Alok Sharma: The 2015 Summer Budget announced a measure to reduce and simplify work allowances, supporting the Government’s intention to move from a low wage, high tax society to a high wage, low tax society. This measure protects those on the very lowest income, while ensuring that incentives to progress in work remain and are improved for those taken off the benefits system altogether. Work allowances for 2018-19 rose in line with the Consumer Price Index (3%).

Children: Maintenance

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much child maintenance debt was collected in each of the last three years (a) as a total amount in pounds and (b) as a proportion of the total amount owed.

Justin Tomlinson: Information relating to your request can be derived from Table 9 in the Child Maintenance Service Statistics which is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/742803/tables-child-maintenance-service-august-2013-to-june-2018.ods It should be noted that the data does not distinguish between payments made in relation to accrued debt and those made in relation to ongoing maintenance. Further guidance for users of the Child Maintenance Service Statistics is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-maintenance-service-2012-scheme-experimental-statistics-background-information-and-methodology

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2018 to Question 178516 on Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations, if her Department will (a) review its policy to send only the latest copy of a person's assessment report and (b) provide (i) all copies of those reports and (ii) explanations of any amendments to ensure that the process is transparent.

Sarah Newton: It is Department for Work and Pensions policy to provide only the latest copy of the assessment report to claimants upon request, as this supersedes any previous report and is the report used by the Case Manager to make the decision.

Universal Credit: Mental Illness

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department made during the development process of the universal credit managed migration process of the effect of the migration notice process on people with mental health problems.

Sarah Newton: We take seriously the need to support vulnerable claimants moving to Universal Credit, including those with mental health problems. We will work with stakeholders and organisations to understand the best way to support all of our customers through managed migration. For example, we intend to ensure that agents check for evidence of complex needs or vulnerability, to ensure that those claimants who need additional help with migration are offered the appropriate support. Working with stakeholders, there will be a lengthy period of small-scale, careful and robust testing, including how we best notify and engage with claimants – particularly the most vulnerable – before we increase volumes. DWP published an equality impact assessment for Universal Credit in 2011 which introduced UC and provided for managed migration and Transitional Protection. In line with Ministers’ legal duties equality impacts have been considered on all major changes to Universal Credit

Universal Credit

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect on the finances of claimants of excluding claimants that previously made a defective claim for universal credit from eligibility for transitional protection as part of the process of managed migration.

Alok Sharma: Our draft regulations setting out our proposals for managed migration and the consideration of transitional protection were sent to the Social Security Advisory Committee in June 2018. The Committee referred these for a formal public consultation and we are currently considering the Committee’s report on the result of this consultation together with their recommendations with regard to our proposals. We will be issuing that report and our response to it when we bring the draft regulations before Parliament.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Water: Conservation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the environmental effect of water-saving schemes, including Refill.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambitions to improve water efficiency. Lowering water consumption helps to reduce the total volume of water taken from the environment, helping to address unsustainable abstraction. The Government is working with the water industry, Waterwise and other groups to investigate a variety of tools and techniques to deliver this. I will report to the House later this year on the steps we are taking to encourage water conservation. The aim of the water refill scheme is primarily to reduce plastic waste rather than to save water.

Fisheries: South West

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of spending by the EU fisheries programme in the South West.

George Eustice: Demand for European Maritime and Fisheries Funding (EMFF) has been very high in the South West of England. 663 projects have been approved in the South West, with committed EMFF support totalling £16.6 million. This is compared to 325 projects for the rest of England, where the total committed EMFF support stands at £13.9 million. Therefore 67% of projects are located in the South West - and these receive 54% of the committed EMFF support for the grant scheme. It is clear that there is high local demand from industry and that the South West will gain significant benefits from this funding in terms of ensuring a long-term sustainable future for fisheries. In the event of no deal being reached, all EMFF projects approved before the closure date of the current programme (December 2020) will be fully funded under a Treasury guarantee. This guarantee applies across the UK. We will continue to support applications for EMFF across the UK, including the South West, until the fund is fully committed. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) makes public all beneficiaries of the grant aid from EMFF through the Transparency Initiative. This data can be obtained from the MMO’s website here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/746656/Transparency_Initiative_-_August_2018.xlsx

Grouse Moors

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will support an independent inquiry into the sustainability and legality of grouse moor management in England.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: No.

Dairy Farming

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the financial effect of the UK leaving the EU on the dairy industry.

George Eustice: The Government aims to secure a deep and comprehensive free trade deal with the EU that provides for frictionless, tariff-free trade with the EU, supporting the continued success of our agricultural sectors. Leaving the EU also provides an opportunity for the UK to have an independent trade policy and a new agriculture policy will enable the dairy industry and other sectors to improve their productivity and competitiveness outside of the EU, while also improving our environment. We are conducting a rigorous analysis of the full range of UK-EU trade scenarios across UK agriculture sectors. However, we remain confident in the resilience of our agricultural sectors and their ability to thrive outside of the EU.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the farm subsidy system he plans to introduce after the UK leaves the EU will award subsidies based on farm hectares.

George Eustice: We want to move away from a system that awards subsidies based on the amount of land held. We will create an ambitious new system based on paying “public money for public goods”. Public goods will include improving air and water quality, mitigating climate change and providing habitats for wildlife.

Home Office

Asylum: Children

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children have arrived to the UK under the Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016.

Caroline Nokes: We remain fully committed to delivering our commitment to transfer the specified number of 480 children under Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 and are working very closely with participating States, to deliver the scheme in line with their national laws.Over 220 children are already in the UK. We will not provide a running commentary on numbers and will publish the details once all children are in the UK.We are working very closely with participating States and partners to deliver the scheme in line with their national laws. Relocation of children to the UK is also dependent on the availability of appropriate local authority care placements.The Sandhurst Treaty, signed between the UK and France in January 2018, includes a number of measures to strengthen our cooperation on unaccompanied asylum seeking children. This includes a £3.6m development fund to identify projects to support transfers of eligible children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 and the Dublin III Regulation.

Drugs and Slavery

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations he has received from the (a) Secretaries of State for (i) Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (ii) Health and Social Care, (iii) Housing, Communities and Local Government, (iv) Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and (v) Justice and (b) Chancellor of the Exchequer on the (A) county lines drug trade and (B) Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Victoria Atkins: The Secretary of State for the Home Department has not received any recent formal representations from the named departments on either county lines drug trade or the Modern Slavery Act 2015.The Home Secretary regularly meets Secretaries of State across Whitehall to ensure a coordinated response to cross-cutting issues.

Drugs: Crime

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many phone numbers used for county lines drugs dealing have been closed down after the introduction of Drug Dealing Telecommunications Restriction Orders in December 2017.

Victoria Atkins: The use of Drug Dealing Telecommunications Restriction Orders is an operational matter and the National County Lines Co-Ordination Centre does not routinely disclose this information.

Drugs: Crime

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of the use of encrypted messaging apps by people involved in county lines drugs dealing.

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent meetings (a) he and (b) his officials have had with representatives of (i) Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp, (ii) Kik Messenger, (iii) Snapchat, (iv) Telegram, (v) Viber, (vi) Wickr and (vii) other social media and messenger sites on the use of their encrypted messaging apps for county lines drugs dealing.

Victoria Atkins: The National County Lines Working Group brings together a range of agencies including law enforcement to assess the trends in county lines and action that should be taken. This ensures that we are up to date on the latest developments involving county lines reported by the police and National Crime Agency.In June this year, the Home Secretary announced funding of £1.38m to support a new national police capability to tackle gang related activity on social media which will be operational shortly. Representatives from Google and Facebook also attended a meeting of the Serious Violence Taskforce chaired by the Home Secretary in June to present the action they are taking to tackle gang related content online.

Shops: Crimes against the Person

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many assaults against shop keepers were recorded by her Department in each year since 2010.

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of robberies of shops recorded by her Department involved the use of a weapon, in each year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects data on the number of crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales but it is not possible to separately identify assaults against shopkeepers or robberies of shops from the data centrally held.Statistics on all assaults and of robberies of business property are published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The latest figures, which contain time series from April 2002 to June 2018, can be accessed here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtablesThe Home Office’s Commercial Victimisation Survey provides estimates of the volume of crime experienced by business premises including in the Wholesale and Retail sector. The survey is able to estimate the number of assaults and threats and the number of robberies experienced by businesses in that sector but the sample size is not large enough to provide separate estimates of the number of assaults against shopkeepers or the proportion of robberies in which a weapon has been used. The latest results from the CVS can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/crime-against-businesses-findings-from-the-2017-commercial-victimisation-survey

Speed Limits: Cameras

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many operational speed cameras there were in the West Midlands Police force area in each year since 2010.

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much revenue his Department has collected from speed cameras in the West Midlands Police force area in each year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd: The information requested is not held centrally. The deployment of speed cameras is an operational matter for West Midlands Police in conjunction with the local authority. Data on fines and penalties paid in respect of speeding offences is not broken down between speed cameras and other forms of enforcement activity.

Business: Slavery

Dame Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to publish the names of those businesses with a turnover of more than £36 million who do not comply with Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in (a) 2018  and (b) 2019; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office plans to carry out an audit of organisations’ Modern Slavery Statements after 31 March 2019 and intends to publish a list of non-compliant organisations after this date.

Immigrants: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Oral contribution of 21 June 2018 by the Minister for Immigration on the EU Settlement Scheme, Official Report, column 508, what provisions he plans to put in place for victims of trafficking and modern slavery to help them prove their residency in order to obtain Settled Status.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Oral contribution of 21 June 2018 by the Minister for Immigration on the EU Settlement Scheme, Official Report, column 508, what steps he is taking to ensure that victims of trafficking and modern slavery can prove their identity in order to obtain Settled Status.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Oral Statement of 21 June 2018 by the Minister for Immigration on the EU Settlement Scheme, Official Report, column 508, if he will waive the application fee for (a) any victim and (b) any dependent of trafficking or modern slavery with a positive reasonable grounds or conclusive grounds decision when applying for settled status.

Caroline Nokes: As set out in the Statement of Intent published on 21 June 2018, the EU Settlement Scheme will adopt a flexible approach to evidence of both identity and residence.The published caseworker guidance includes a broad range of evidence that caseworkers can accept to establish the applicant’s claimed period of residence in the UK. This includes confirmation from another Government department or agency, such as the National Crime Agency which oversees the National Referral Mechanism for victims of trafficking and modern slavery.The Home Office will also accept alternative evidence of identity and nationality where the applicant is unable to obtain or produce the required document due to circumstances beyond their control or due to compelling practical or compassionate reasons. This could include where passports or national identity cards have been confiscated by organised criminal gangs involved in trafficking.Furthermore, arrangements are being developed for a range of support to be offered by the Home Office and third parties such as community groups and charities. These include direct support arrangements to assist vulnerable individuals throughout the application process, through tailored telephone advice and support, attendance at one of our assisted digital centres, or where necessary, officials visiting the individual at home.With regard to application fees, there are currently no plans to waive fees for victims of trafficking and modern slavery, unless the victim is a child in local authority care. The application fee has been set below the cost of a UK passport and applicants have until 30 June 2021 to make the necessary arrangements to enable them to apply.

Asylum: Housing

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the number of asylum seekers whose housing provision has been terminated before the asylum application process including appeals has been completed.

Caroline Nokes: I refer the Hon. Member to the response I gave to UIN 171728 on the 7th September 2018.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of staff in receipt of universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The Office of the Secretary of Scotland does not hold information on the number or proportion of staff in receipt of universal credit. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies, principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government, who remain the employers.

Domestic Visits: Glasgow North East

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will publish the Ministerial visits undertaken to Glasgow North East constituency since 2005.

David Mundell: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Museums and Galleries: Glasgow

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allocating additional Government funding to the Scottish Government to ensure that Glasgow’s museums and art galleries remain free to visit.

David Mundell: The UK Government fully support free access by the public to museums and art galleries. The UK Government provides funds for the Scottish Government through the Block Grant. It is a matter for the Scottish Government to allocate funding for museums in Scotland from within their budget. The hon Gentleman may therefore wish to progress the matter of additional funding for this area with them.

Cabinet Office

Electronic Government

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 9 October 2018 on GOV.UK Verify programme, HCWS978, how many redundancies there will be as a result of his Department' s decision to transfer gov.uk verify to the private sector.

Oliver Dowden: There have been no redundancies, nor are there any planned, as a result of the changes concerning GOV.UK Verify that were recently announced to the House.The Written Statement outlined that the responsibility for broadening the usage and application of the digital identity market will transition to the private sector. The Statement explained that new contracts with private sector identity providers have been signed to ensure that the Government will continue to have access to the identity assurance it needs. The Statement reiterated the Government’s support for GOV.UK Verify and for the creation of a digital identity market.

Government Departments: Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many cyber specialists there are working in each Government Department.

Mr David Lidington: I refer the honourable member to my answer on 23/10/2018 to PQ 181649.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Research: EU Grants and Loans

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2018 to Question 171404 on Research: EU Grants and Loans, whether it is Government policy to include association to the Ninth EU Framework programme in the framework for the future relationship with the European Union.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government’s White Paper set out our ambition to agree a far-reaching science and innovation accord as part of our future relationship with the EU. This includes exploring association in research and innovation programmes, such as the Ninth EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (known as Horizon Europe).As talks progress on the future relationship, we continue to work hard and at pace to deliver the best possible agreement on the Future Framework, which will be to the mutual benefit of both the UK and the EU. The UK and the EU have been clear that the Withdrawal Agreement and the Future Framework form a package, and that ‘nothing is agreed until everything is agreed’ - meaning that neither document can be considered final until this is true of both. With talks ongoing, we remain firmly on track to reach agreement on the Withdrawal Agreement and the Future Framework in the autumn.

EU Countries

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps the Government has taken to cooperate with other EU states on those countries' preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Chris Heaton-Harris: We are committed to negotiating a successful exit. As a responsible Government we are also preparing for the unlikely scenario in which we leave without a deal. This includes cooperating with Member States to minimise disruption to citizens and businesses. We will continue to impress upon Member States our joint responsibility to work together.The European Commission have also made clear Member States should take the steps necessary to prepare for this scenario.

UK Relations with EU: Security

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on co-operation with the EU on security policy after the UK has left the EU.

Suella Braverman: We have been clear that we should continue to cooperate with the EU across the whole range of security areas to tackle common threats and promote our shared values.On internal security, the Government proposed a coherent and legally binding agreement covering the three key areas of cooperation. On external security, we have outlined an independent UK foreign policy, with the UK and EU cooperating as close allies, when it is in our mutual interest.On my recent visits to Bulgaria, Croatia and the Czech Republic, my counterparts have welcomed these proposals and our very clear unconditional commitment to European security.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Staff

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what change there has been in staffing levels in his Department since June 2016.

George Hollingbery: When the Department for International Trade (DIT) was formed in July 2016, the number of staff was 2,504. The number of staff working for the Department for International Trade as at 30 September 2018 is 3,882.The figures above include all people engaged in DIT and UK Export Finance (UKEF) business activities. This includes employees, contractors and those on loan from other government departments or seconded from organisations external to the Civil Service.

Import Duties

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the timetable is for the publication of the tariff schedule for the possibility of a no-deal scenario.

George Hollingbery: In the event of no deal, the Government will determine and publish its UK duty rates before we leave the EU in accordance with the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act.For bound rates, we have already lodged our UK only General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) schedule at the WTO and will have also lodged our UK only General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) schedule.

Defence: Export Credit Guarantees

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the (a) premium income (b) claims paid and (c) monies at risk of UK Export Finance were relating to the defence sector for the financial years (i) 2015-16, (ii) 2016-17 and (iii) 2017-18.

Graham Stuart: UK Export Finance (UKEF) does not publish premium value by sector. Total premium income can be found in our Annual Report and Accounts. No claims were paid relating to defence sector contracts during this period. The monies at risk for defence transactions are presented in the table below. FYNet Amount at Risk £m2015-161,219.32016-172,749.82017-182,537.6 Where such information is not commercially sensitive, UKEF publishes details of the companies it has supported on an annual basis in its Annual Report and Accounts which are presented to Parliament and can be found on UKEF’s website. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-export-finance-annual-reports-and-accounts

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Telecommunications: Rents

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the changes in rents payable by communication network providers as a consequence of recent reforms to the Electronic Communications Code; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: The Electronic Communications Code (ECC) was recently reformed as part of the Digital Economy Act 2017. These reforms were intended to reduce the cost of providing communications infrastructure and make it easier for operators to deploy such infrastructure. The new Code came into force on 28 December 2017. The Regulatory Impact Assessment published by Government estimated that the ECC reforms could lead to a reduction in average market rents (as compared to rates agreed before reforms to the ECC). However, the eventual impact is difficult to predict during this period of transition in which operators and site providers adapt to the new legislation. During this period, where the market is adjusting and settling, good working relationships between site providers and code operators are critical, and we encourage all parties to continue their efforts to reach mutually acceptable agreements. The joint statement released in August is significant, as it reaffirms a commitment made by DCMS, industry, CLA and RICS to work collaboratively to implement the ECC. My Department will continue to work with stakeholders, including representatives from industry, landowners, representative bodies and Ofcom, to inform the implementation of the new Code. I will monitor developments carefully and, as outlined in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, will consider a formal review of the impact of the ECC reforms.

Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many successful applications to cyber skills immediate impact fund there have been; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of that fund.

Margot James: The Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund (CSIIF) acts as an incentive for a broader range of industry designed and led activity to deliver an immediate boost to numbers and diversity in the UK’s cyber security workforce. We identified seven initiatives to support through the initial, pilot phase of the Fund. Given the level of market interest, and the quality of bids initially received, we recently opened a further bidding round. In parallel, we are commissioning an independent evaluation of the pilot initiatives and the Fund’s overall effectiveness. This will commence in the new year when the pilot initiatives near conclusion and its results will be published.

Arts: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will discuss with the Creative Industries Council its meeting in future in Northern Ireland to ensure that creative industries policies are developed in the Province.

Margot James: The Council welcomes the opportunity to hold meetings across the country. The policy areas under consideration are largely devolved. However the Council works closely with the Devolved Administrations where appropriate and officials from the Devolved Administrations are invited to attend Council meetings. The majority of Council members also work across the UK.

Women and Equalities

Minister for Women and Equalities: Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of staff employed by his Department in receipt of universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) do not hold the relevant information to be able to estimate the number and proportion of its staff in receipt of universal credit. Universal credit is dependent on an individual’s circumstances, including their housing arrangement, caring responsibilities and dependent children. This information is not held by GEO.